Table sake. The most basic category of sake without special designation.

A type of premium sake made with rice polished down to 70% or less, with a small amount of distilled alcohol added to enhance aroma and flavor.

A high-grade sake made with rice polished down to 60% or less and the addition of a small amount of high strengh distilled alcohol.

A high-grade sake made with rice polished down to 50% or less and the addition of a small amount of high strengh distilled alcohol.

Literally "pure rice". A premium sake classification that does not use added distilled alcohol—only rice, water, yeast, and koji

A high-grade sake made with rice polished down to 60% or less without the addition of high strengh distilled alcohol

A high-grade sake made with rice polished down to 50% or less without the addition of high strengh distilled alcohol

An old-school method of creating a fermentation starter, used before the more refined kimoto technique.

Craft sake is a new genre of Japanese alcoholic beverages brewed from rice using traditional techniques but with legal flexibility, such as incorporating secondary ingredients like fruits and herbs, or by fermenting unfiltered mixtures like doburoku. It falls under the legal classification of "Other brewed alcoholic beverages" (sonota no jozo-shu) rather than traditional seishu (refined sake), allowing for greater creativity and a wider range of flavors beyond the strict definition of sake.

A cloudy, unfiltered sake with a thick texture. Technically not classified as sake under current laws because it's not filtered.

A pressing technique where cloth bags of fermented mash are placed in a wooden box and gently squeezed.

A very gentle, gravity-based filtering method. Bags of mash are hung and allowed to drip naturally.

Undiluted sake, bottled at its original strength without adding water to lower the alcohol.

The second most popular rice variety used to produce sake

Large Japanese sake cup, usually made of ceramic, larger than an ochoko but smaller than a standard teacup.

A large 1.8-liter bottle of sake

Heated sake

Describes a dry flavor profile, with lower sweetness and often a crisp finish

Katakuchi is a traditional Japanese vessel, valued for its elegant design and long-standing role in sake service. Its name literally means ‘one-sided mouth,’ reflecting its distinctive spouted form. The vessel dates back to the Jōmon period (14,000–300 BCE), highlighting its deep historical roots in Japanese culture.

Sake that leans on the sweeter side, often with noticeable residual sugar.

An ancient, labor-intensive starter method where steamed rice is pounded into a paste.

A sake finish that’s quick, clean, and refreshing, leaving the palate crisp.

Yeast

Steamed white rice on which koji-kin has been grown.

Sake that has been aged to develop deeper, more complex flavors.

A sake brewery.

A member of the brewing team working in a sake kura (brewery).

The owner or head of a sake brewery.

A small, square wooden box made from cedar, traditionally used to measure rice and also sometimes used for drinking sake.

The main fermentation.

Describes sake that hasn’t undergone charcoal filtration, leaving more of the original flavors and colors intact.

Unpastorised.

Cloudy sake that has been coarsely filtered, leaving fine rice particles suspended in the liquid.

A small, traditional sake cup, often used for tasting or ceremonial pours.

The fifth classified sake rice variety and one of the oldest, known for producing earthy, rich sake.

Japanese term for someone who enjoys drinking alcohol. The word combines “sake” , meaning alcohol, with “suki”, meaning fondness or liking.”

The soft, starchy core of sake rice that is ideal for brewing due to its high enzymatic activity.

The yeast starter or “mother of sake,” the first stage of fermentation where yeast is cultivated.

A modern yeast starter method that accelerates fermentation by adding lactic acid at the beginning.

The head brewer or master brewer in a sake brewery, responsible for overseeing the entire brewing process.

A traditional sake carafe used for pouring, often ceramic and used when serving warm or chilled sake.

A special sake made from either: rice polished to 60% or less; only sake-specific rice; a process the brewer has had legally recognised.

The method of pressing sake using a Yabuta machine—standard in many modern breweries.

Japan’s top sake rice variety, prized for its large starch core and balanced brewing properties.

A traditional yeast starter method evolved from kimoto, eliminating the rice-pounding step but retaining a natural, complex fermentation process.

Standard 720ml sake bottle, holding four ‘go’ servings of approximately 180ml each. Its name comes from the traditional Japanese Shakkanhō measurement system.