Did you know there are 8 categories of Japanese Sake (nihonshu)?
First of all, as you can tell from the chart below, there are two (2) major categories among Japanese Sake: Junmai-shu and Honjozo-shu.
What is the difference betweenJunmai-shu and Honjozo-shu?
Junmai-shu is purely made from rice, water, and koji. However, for Honzojo-shu, distilled alcohol is added to three (3) ingredients above.
You may think that Honjozo-shu is not a pure Japanese Sake as distilled alcohol is added. However it is not true.
Adding distilled alcohol enables to enhance aroma of Japanese Sake and to soften its taste.
Hence, it does not necessarily mean that distilled alcohol is added just to increase volume for making more profit.
Let's take a look at the definition of each Japanese Sake Category
1. Junmai-Daiginjo-shu
Using rice koji, water, and white rice that is milled down to 50% or less as ingredients. Junmai-Daiginjo-shu is a type of Japanese Sake that has been carefully examined in production and has an excellent aroma, luster, and color.
2. Junmai-Ginjo-shu
Using rice koji, water, and white rice that is milled down to 60% or less as ingredients. Junmai-Ginjo-shu also is a type of Japanese Sake that has been carefully examined in production and has an excellent aroma, luster, and color.
3. Tokubetsu Junmai-shu
The difference between Junmai-Ginjo-shu and Tokubetsu Junmai-shu is whether it is made with a special production method or not.
Tokubetsu Junmai-shu is Junmai-shu that has a particularly excellent aroma and luster, which needs to be objectively described on a bottle or package using information on ingredients, production method, and/or other pieces of information. (If description is displayed using a rice milling ratio, it is only applicable in case rice milling ratio is 60% or less)
4. Junmai-shu
This is a type of sake that is made from rice, rice koji, and water and that has excellent aroma, luster, and color.
5. Daiginjo-shu
A type of sake that uses rice koji, water, distilled alcohol, and white rice that is milled down to 50% or less as ingredients and that has been carefully examined in production. Daiginjo-shu has more excellent aroma, luster, and color than Ginjo-shu.
6. Ginjo-shu
A type of sake that uses rice koji, water, distilled alcohol, and white rice that is milled down to 60% or less as ingredients and that has been carefully examined in production. There are two (2) types among Ginjo-shu: “Kaori-Ginjo” that focuses more on “Kaori” (aroma), and “Aji-Ginjo” that focuses more on “Aji” (flavor).
7. Tokubetsu Honjozo-shu
A type of sake that uses rice koji, water, distilled alcohol (weight of distilled alcohol needs to be 10% or less than the weight of white rice), and white rice that is milled down to 60% or less as ingredients and that has better aroma, luster, and color than Honjozo-shu.
8. Honjozo-shu
A type of sake that uses rice koji, water, distilled alcohol, and white rice that is milled down to 70% or less as ingredients
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References:
http://www.japansake.or.jp/sake/english/howto/type.html
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