Sake Dictionary - Sake and Types of Sake - Japanese Drink/Beverage

Sake is a Japanese beverage which is fermented from rice, a kind of grain, hence, it made Sake more of a beer than a wine. However, Sake is not carbonated, and flavor-wise is closer to wine than beer, although it is quite unqiue on its own and so different from wine. Sake is not a distilled beverage, and is not even remotely related to Gin, Vodka or other spirits There are different types of Sake based on taste and flavor, namely: (1) Amakuchi - Sake which has a sweet flavor (2) Futsu-shu Sake - is a normal Sake. (3) Genshu - is undiluted Sake. Most Sakes are slightly diluted (4) Ginjo-shu - is Sake brewed with rice milled so that no more than 60% of the grain remains (5) Hi-ire - Pasteurization (6) Honjozo - Sake to which a small amount of distilled alcohol is added (7) Jizake - is Sake from smaller Kura -- originally, Sake from the boonies (8) Junmai-shu - Sake brewed with only rice, water, and Koji and no additives added (9) Karakuchi - sake which is dry in flavor (10) Kasu - The lees remaining after the sake has been pressed from the fermenting mixture (11) Koji is the rice into which Koji-jin has been propogated (12) Koji-kin or Koji-kabi - it is Aspergillus Oryzae, a starch dissolving mold Kura refers to a Sake brewery. It is also known as Sakagura Kurabito is a Sake brewery worker. Kuramoto is the Head of the Sake brewery Toji is the Head brewer at a Kura Meigara is a brand name of Sake Moromi refers to the fermenting mixture of rice, water, Koji, and yeast which yields Sake Moto is the yeast starter of a batch of Sake. Moto is also called Shubo Nihonshu-do is the specific gravity of a Sake. An indication of dryness or sweetness of Sake Seimai means rice polishing or milling Seimai-buai is the degree to which rice has been polished before brewing Seishu is the officiall name for Sake as far as taxes are concerned Shochu is a traditional Japanese distilled beverage Shubo is the yeast starter for a batch of Sake