Sake 101 – Sake Rice
Rice is one of the most important components of sake making.
The core of the rice grain called shimpaku (心白）which is rich in starch, while fats, vitamins and proteins are concentrated near the surface. On the other hand fat and protein have strong flavor profiles that, in excess, can adversely affect the flavors and aromas of sake, resulting in an unpleasant product. This is why rice-polishing is a vital step for making sake.
Sake is divided into a number of categories and grades. The principal division is into basic and premium sake. This basic style of sake is known as futsū-shu (普通酒) in Japanese. Most futsū-shu are clear and colourless in appearance but some are pale yellow in colour, they are 15–17% abv, slightly sweet and lightly acidic with delicate lactic and cereal flavours. This type of sake makes up more than 70% of all sake in the market .
Premium sake are referred as Toketei Meishoshu (特定名称酒) includes 6 classes, each defined by rice polishing ratio (seimai buai 精米部合) , use of brewer’s alcohol. Rice polishing ratio represents how much rice is polished . Three of the grades feature the word junmai, which means ‘pure rice(純米’). This indicates that high-strength distilled alcohol was not added before filtration.
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Sake101 – Sake Labels
