Japandon Imported Japanese Sake

Japanese Sake - Wide Variety of Alcohol
Sake is a alcoholic beverage made from the multiple parallel fermentation of polished rice. The process of milling removes the protein and oils from the exterior of the rice grain, leaving behind starch. A more thorough milling leads to fewer congeners and generally a more desirable product. Multiple fermentation means that there are multiple steps in the fermentation process — the starch is converted to sugar by enzyme action, and then the sugar is converted to alcohol by yeast. This is typical of beverages created from starchy sources, such as beers.
Sake brewing differs from beer brewing in two significant ways. In sake brewing, enzymes for the starch conversion come from the action of a mold called kōji, but in beer brewing the enzymes come from the malt itself. In sake brewing, the multiple processes of fermentation occur simultaneously in the same step, while in beer these processes occur in different, serial steps.
After fermentation, the product is heavily clouded with grain solids and is generally filtered, except in the case of nigori sake. Generally, the product is not aged because consumers prefer the flavor of the fresh product, which degrades quickly in the presence of light, air, and heat. A few varieties of aged sake serve a niche market, however, and can be purchased for a reasonable price if one knows who and where to inquire.
Varities of Sake
There are two basic types of sake: futsū-shu, which are the "normal sake"; and tokutei meishōshu "special designation sake". Futsū-shu does not qualify for any levels of special designation. It is the equivalent of table wine and is over 75% of all sake produced. On the other hand, the tokutei meishōshu or "special designation sake" is distinguished by the degree to which the rice is polished and the added percentage of jōzō alcohol or absence of such additives.
There are four types of tokutei meishōshu (actually six, due to mixing and matching the junmai and ginjō varieties).
• Honjozo-shu, which with a slight amount of distilled alcohol added. The distilled alcohol helps pull some extra flavors out of the mash. This term was created in the late 1960s to distinguish it (a premium, flavorful sake) from cheaply made liquors to which large amounts of alcohol were added simply to increase volume and/or give it a high alcohol content.

• Junmai-shu, which literally "purified rice wine"), made from rice only. Before 2004, the Japanese government mandated that at least 40% of the rice be polished away, with no alcohol added, if the sake was to be considered junmai. Today, it can represent any sake milled to any degree, that contains no additives or distilled alcohol.

• Ginjo-shu, which has rice weight polished to 50% or less.

• Daiginjo-shu, which has rice weight polished to 40% or less.

The term junmai can be added in front of either ginjō or daiginjō if no alcohol is added to result in either junmai ginjō or junmai daiginjō. However, distilled alcohol often is added in small amounts to ginjō and daiginjō to heighten the aroma, not to increase volume, so a junmai daiginjō without added alcohol is not necessarily a better product than daiginjō. In fact, most brews that win the gold medals at the Hiroshima Kanpyōkai (one of the most prestigious judging events) cannot be called junmai due to the small amounts of alcohol added. In addition, there are some other terms commonly used to describe sake:
• Kuroshu, sake using unpolished rice (brown rice), more like the Chinese production method.

• Koshu, which is aged sake. Most sake does not age well, but this specially made type can age for decades, turning the sake yellow and giving it a honeyed flavor.

• Taruzake, which is a sake aged in cedar barrels. The barrel aging gives this type its characteristic spiciness. Also refers to sake casks broken open for the opening of buildings, businesses, parties, etc. As the cedar barrels imparts a flavor, premium sake is rarely used for this type.

• Seishu, is the the official name for Japanese sake, but excluding nigorizake and doburoku.

• Tei-seihaku-shu, which is a sake with low rice polishing ratio. Generally and traditionally, it has been said that the lower the "seimai-buai" rice polishing ratio is (see below), the better the potential of the sake is. This is true with the majority of sake in March 2007 but, in these few years, sake has intentionally been made with high rice polishing ratios, such as 80%, to produce a characteristic flavor, mainly for the scent of the rice itself to remain.

• Shizuku-dori, which is a sake that is separated from lees without external pressure by hanging moromi bags and allowing it to drip slowly.

• Tobin-gakoi, which is a sake that was pressed into separate bottles usually using the shizuku-dori method, each containing 18 liters. The resulting bottles permits the brewer to select the best sake of the batch for shipping.

• Shiboritate, is a sake that has been shipped without the traditional six-month aging/maturation period. The result is usually a more acidic, "greener" sake.