Have you ever tried sake? In the U.S., you’ll most often find it at sushi restaurants, izakayas, or bars — sometimes in the form of sake bombs. Of course, you can enjoy sake however you like, but just like wine, the more you explore it, the deeper it gets. And the more you learn about sake, the more enjoyable it becomes to drink! As a huge sake lover, I’ll introduce you to Sake 101.

All infographics used in this post are sourced from SAKETIMES, a Japanese web media dedicated to sake.

Sake is one of Japan’s most iconic traditional beverages. In Japan, it is often referred to as “nihon-shu” (literally, “Japanese alcohol”) because the word “sake” can refer to any alcoholic drink in the country.

Sake typically has a smooth and mild flavor profile with minimal acidity, bitterness, or astringency.

Traditionally, its alcohol content ranges between 15-16%, slightly higher than wine. But modern variations can be found at both lower (around 10%) and higher (up to 20%) content. In Japan, their liquor tax laws say that sake must not exceed 22% alcohol content.

When buying sake, you’ll commonly find bottles in two standard sizes: 1.8L (often used in restaurants) and 720ml (the popular choice for consumers). A 720ml bottle equates to about 5.75 servings in a wine glass, four servings in a tokkuri (sake carafe), or 20 servings in an ochoko (samll sake cup).

But sake is more than just a drink! It plays an important role in Japanese culture and traditions, such as being offered to the gods at Shinto shrines or enjoyed during celebrations like New Year’s, where spiced sake (otoso) is believed to bring good luck and ward off illness.

Many people mispronounce it as “saki,” but the correct pronunciation is sah-keh — just like how “karaoke” is often mispronounced when it’s supposed to be kah-rah-oh-keh.

Alcoholic beverages fall into two categories: fermented or distilled. Wine, beer, and mead are fermented alcohols, while whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, tequila, mezcal, and shochu are distilled alcohols.

Fermentation happens when yeast converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Distillation also begins with a fermented liquid but go through an additional process of heating to separate and concentrate the alcohol, creating a stronger spirit. I found this YouTube video below to help visually understand how distillation works.

So which category does sake belong to? It’s a fermented alcohol. The fermentation of sake is more similar to that of beer, even though people enjoy sake more like wine.

Wine is made from grapes, and grapes have sugar, which will be fermented into alcohol. But rice lacks natural sugars and has starch instead, a mass form of glucose, which is sugar. So, the starch must first be converted into sugar before fermentation can take place.

Sake is crafted from just four simple ingredients: rice, water, yeast, and mold called koji. Some varieties also incorporate brewer’s alcohol to refine the flavor.

While table rice can be used for brewing, premium sake is made from special sake rice (sakamai). These grains are larger than regular rice and contain a starchy core called shinpaku. Since proteins and lipids in the outer layers can produce undesirable flavors, sake rice undergoes polishing to remove these elements. Some of the most well-known sake rice varieties include Yamada-Nishiki, Gohyakumangoku, Miyama-Nishiki, and Omachi.

Major table rice varieties in Japan include Koshihikari, Hitomebore, and Akitakomachi.

Since sake is about 80% water, its quality significantly influences the final taste. Japan’s naturally soft water (low in minerals) contributes to a smooth and refined flavor. Different regions have distinct water profiles that shape the sake’s characteristics — for instance, water in Hyogo is relatively hard and sake made with this water tends to be sharper and drier. On the other hand, water in Kyoto is softer, and their sake tends to be softer and sweeter.

Because rice lacks sugar, koji mold is used to break down its starch into fermentable sugars — a process called saccharification. Koji spores are sprinkled over steamed rice and left to propagate. This process is essential to sake production and meticulously overseen by the Touji (aka the brewmaster).

Yeast not only turns sugar into alcohol but also produces carbon dioxide and aromas. Different yeast strains produce a variety of scent profiles, from fruity notes to rich and complex aromas. The diversity of modern yeast strains allows for a wide range of sake styles to cater to different preferences.

Yeast and koji mold are used in making soy sauce and miso. This is one of the reasons sake pairs so well with Japanese food!

Sake is brewed throughout Japan in all 47 prefectures. Niigata prefecture boasts the highest number of breweries, followed by Nagano and Hyogo prefectures. There are also a few notable sake production hubs, such as Nada (Hyogo), Fushimi (Kyoto), and Saijo (Hiroshima).

Sake brewing traditionally takes place in winter, as cooler temperatures allow for better fermentation control and reduced bacterial interference. While large-scale producers brew year-round, most craft breweries stick to this seasonal tradition.

Before brewing begins, sake rice undergoes polishing to remove unwanted outer layers. Most breweries outsource this step to specialized mills.

The rice polishing ratio (seimai-buai), significantly impacts sake’s flavor, quality, and price. It represents how much of the rice remains after polishing — for example, a 60% rice polishing ratio means 40% of the outer layer has been removed.

Sake with lower polishing ratios tends to be cleaner, more refined, and aromatic. Conversely, sake with higher polishing ratios yield richer, more rice-like, and umami-forward flavor. The lower the polishing ratio, the more rice is milled away, so more rice grains are needed to produce the same amount of sake, which affects the price.

Not necessarily! While a lower polishing ratio often correlates with a more delicate and refined taste, modern brewing techniques and knowledge allow skilled brewers to create exceptional sake regardless of the ratio. Many factors like ingredient quality, brewing expertise, and fermentation conditions all play vital roles in determining the final product. Try different types and see what suits your taste!

After polishing, the rice is washed to remove residual bran and then soaked in water to absorb moisture before steaming. The brewmaster carefully adjusts the soaking time. The rice is then steamed to make it easier to grow koji cultures.

A portion of the steamed rice is sprinkled with koji mold spores and incubated under warm conditions. The mold breaks down starches into fermentable sugars. It takes two whole nights and is ready on the third day.

The koji rice, steamed rice, water, and yeast are combined to create a starter mash.

The yeast starter is gradually mixed with more steamed rice, koji rice, and water in three-stages over four days (sandan-jikomi). This main fermentation lasts three to four weeks.

Once fermentation is complete, the mash is pressed to separate the liquid sake from the solid rice lees (sake kasu), a byproduct used in cooking and skincare.

Before storage, the sake may undergo some additional processes, such as:

This is the process of letting the sake settle naturally so the sediment sinks to the bottom. The clearer liquid is then carefully siphoned off to improve clarity and purity.

To make sake more balanced and drinkable, most sake is diluted with water to reach the desired level of alcohol.

To stabilize the sake and prevent unwanted microbial activity, sake is typically heated. This deactivates enzymes and kills bacteria which helps maintain flavor and freshness. Most sake is pasteurized twice — once before storage and again before bottling — but there are also unpasteurized sakes which skip this step.

This steps removes remaining impurities and fine particles.

Finally, the sake is stored at the brewery either in tanks or bottled until it is time to ship.

Check out this YouTube video by Paolo from Tokyo. He featured Asahi Shuzo, a producer of world-famous brand Kubota. It’s made at their large-scale production using more advanced and automated technology than the most traditional craft breweries do. He does a great job explaining how sake is made, and I found it very helpful.

Sake doesn’t have an expiration date but is usually best consumed within a year of production. It never becomes undrinkable, but its flavor can deteriorate over time.

In this blog, you learned what sake is and how it’s made. As a next step, check out my other post, which dives into another exciting topic: sake grade designations. By the end of it, you will understand how they impact flavor, quality, and price!