What exactly is Sake?

Sake is, contrary to popular belief, neither a wine nor a spirit in the technical sense, nor even a beer - it is it's very own category of fermented alcohol. It is made by fermenting polished rice, turning the starches into sugars which in turn then ferment into alcohol.

In wine, the sugars in the grapes are already there without the starch into sugar process. In beer, the starch to sugar and sugar to alcohol processes happen in two steps whereas they occur at the same time in sake. Spirits are of course distilled which doesn't take place for sake. Thus, it is its very own style of "rice wine".

In Japan, there is a lot of ceremony around it, where it is served in special porcelain bottles and sipped from small cups called sakazukis. It can come warmed or sitting on a bowl of ice.

History of Sake

Its origin is unknown but it is believed it came into being sometime around 500 BC. In the Heian period (794-1185 AD), it was used in religious ceremony, the royal courts and for drinking games as part of a government monopoly. By the 10th century, Buddhist temples and Shinto priests began to brew their own which became the center of production not long after. The style of sake during this period is known as nigorizake, a type of cloudy sake.

In the early 1400s, the Shoryaku-ji Buddhist temple introduced innovative brewing methods to sake production which are the basis for modern seishu sake, a clear version. In the late 1500s, a large tub called a koku was invented which made it possible to brew sake in larger batches, allowing for the beginning of commercial scale production.

Then came the Edo period (1603-1867) in which a new brewing method was developed where a small amount of distilled alcohol was added to the mash to make it aromatic and lighter, a process that is still used today. In 1860, selective rice breeding was developed aiming to create the optimal sake brewing varieties and there are now over 120 different varieties.

Sake innovation continued until World War II where rice shortages massively hampered production. The workaround was adding distilled alcohol to the rice mash before pressing as this helped extract a lot more flavour and could increase yields by up to 4 times. Some sake in this period was even produced without any rice at all. As Japan began to recover post-war, quality improved and innovations continued. For example, the Kyokai yeast No.9 was invented which addes fruity apple and banana aromas to the drink.

These days, sake consumption in Japan has actually fallen as beer and wine have come to take a share of the market, however, the rest of the world has a demand for it and exports have grown rapidly. The oldest brewery in operation, Sudo Honke, was founded in 1141!

Types of Sake

• Ginjo - made by slowly fermenting the rice at a low temperature, Ginjo is characterised by fruit such as banana, melon, peach, pineapple and apples. Best served chilled.
• Junmai - made of pure rice wine without any additional distilled alcohol. They are richer and full-bodied with savoury notes.

There are also many special designations that define the level of rice polishing, types of rice and percentages, additional levels of distilled alcohol, starter mash preperation and post-fermentation handling.

Craft Sake also exists but is not quite classified as sake under the law, although is widely considered to be. Fruits and herbs are used as secondary ingredients to imbue different flavours such as agave, hops, matcha and coffee. One of the reasosn for craft sake is because Japanese law prevents new producers obtaining a sake brewing license - they must take over an existing brewery or export it only. So, craft sake is a great entry point to get a name for yourself.