What Is Japanese Sake?

Keep the terms separate

Is Seishu the same as Japanese Sake?

Under the Liquor Tax Act, seishu is made by fermenting rice, rice koji and water, or permitted additions, with a filtering step and alcohol below 22%. In the GI context, “Japanese Sake” means seishu made in Japan using only domestically grown rice.

What do sake designations such as Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo and Honjozo indicate?

Junmai, ginjo, daiginjo and honjozo relate to rice polishing, ingredients and production requirements. Read them with the label’s ingredient, polishing and process information, not as a price or brand hierarchy.

How do rice starch conversion and alcoholic fermentation proceed in sake brewing?

Koji converts rice starch into sugar while yeast converts sugar into alcohol in the same moromi. This multiple parallel fermentation is a core structural feature of sake brewing.

JSS: Classification of Sake / National Tax Agency: GI list / National Tax Agency: brewery maps

Verify each product’s designation, GI, ingredients, pasteurisation, nama and genshu wording from its physical label and producer-managed information.

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