Sharing the Joy of Sake ~ Kanpai!
SAKE GLOSSARY ~
Here are just a few words from a very extensive list. There are some great resources available both online and in book format if you are looking at diving deeper into the world and words of sake.
Arabashiri
refers to the first run or ‘free run’ of fresh sake, using only gravity and the weight of the bag/sack containing the liquid before any added pressure is used to press the sake
Aruten
sake made using the addition of brewers alcohol
Atsukan
a often used to describe hot sake, however there are words used for different temperatures when heating sake ~ atsukan is traditionally 50 degrees celsius
Bodaimoto
refers to an ancient and complex fermentation starter method that pre-dates kimoto
Daiginjo
a category of premium sake made using rice with a minimum (required) polishing ratio of 50%
Doburoku
loosely, a type of sake that is unfiltered, is thick, cloudy and even chunky
Futsushu
loosely ‘regular’ or ‘table’ sake that does not classify as premium sake
Genshu
a sake that has not been diluted with water before bottling
Ginjo
a category of premium sake made using rice with a minimum (required) polishing ratio of 60%
Guinomi
a type of traditional sake cup, most often made from clay and more organic in nature than the small white ceramic cups (ochoko)
Junmai
sake made using only rice, water, koji and yeast – without the addition of brewers alcohol
Kan-sake
a term referring to hot or heated sake
Karakuchi
refers to a dry taste
Kasu
the rice solids left behind after pressing sake
Kijoshu
a type of sake, generally a little sweeter, that is made by replacing some of the water used in brewing with sake
Kobo
the traditional term for yeast
Koji / Koji-mai
steamed white rice on which koji-kin has propagated
Koji-kin
the spores of the koji / rice mould that are applied to the steamed rice to break down the starch in the grains. (Latin name ‘Aspergillus Oryzae’)
Koshiki
a traditional rice steamer
Koshu
refers to sake that has been aged
Kura
brewery
Kurabito
brewery worker
Kuramoto
brewery owner
Moromi
the main fermentation
Moto / Shubo
the fermentation starter
Muroka
refers to no charcoal/carbon filtration
Nama
refers to sake that has not been pasteurized
Nigori
a cloudy sake that is generally roughly filtered through a loose mesh and retains rice sediments from the fermentation mash
Shinpaku
is the well defined starch core at the centre of the grains of sake rice
Shuzo
a word meaning sake brewery
Toji
master brewer / head brewer