When you pick up a bottle of sake at a liquor store or a sake brewery shop in Japan, you will see words such as “純米 (junmai)”, “吟醸 (ginjo)”, “大吟醸 (daiginjo)” and “本醸造 (honjozo)” on the label. These names are called “special designations (tokutei meisho, 特定名称)”, and there are eight of them. The eight types are categories based on ingredients and on how the rice is polished. They are not a ranking of quality.
- Junmai-shu (純米酒)
- Made only from rice, rice koji and water
- Tokubetsu junmai-shu (特別純米酒)
- Made only from rice, rice koji and water, with at least 40% of the outer rice polished away or with a special production method
- Junmai ginjo-shu (純米吟醸酒)
- Made only from rice, rice koji and water, with at least 40% of the outer rice polished away, by ginjo brewing
- Junmai daiginjo-shu (純米大吟醸酒)
- Made only from rice, rice koji and water, with at least half of the outer rice polished away, by ginjo brewing
- Honjozo-shu (本醸造酒)
- At least 30% of the outer rice polished away, with a small amount of brewer’s alcohol added
- Tokubetsu honjozo-shu (特別本醸造酒)
- A small amount of brewer’s alcohol added, with at least 40% of the outer rice polished away or with a special production method
- Ginjo-shu (吟醸酒)
- At least 40% of the outer rice polished away, with a small amount of brewer’s alcohol added, by ginjo brewing
- Daiginjo-shu (大吟醸酒)
- At least half of the outer rice polished away, with a small amount of brewer’s alcohol added, by ginjo brewing
- Futsu-shu (普通酒)
- Sake that does not meet the conditions for any of the eight types