Season 1, Episode 5. For every yin there is a yang, for every sunrise a sunset and for every Junmai sake classification, there is a Non-Junmai classification. Alcohol added sake is referred to generally as “aruten” style sake. Just as we have 3 grades of premium sake for the Junmai “pure rice” styles, we have three grades of premium sake for the alcohol added styles. In this episode we take a deep dive into understanding the alcohol added classifications including a tasting of two different aruten styles. Along the way, we discover we may indeed be living in a golden age of sake. And it goes without saying that the sake glass is half full. Everyone knows that sake always finds a way.

Skip to: 00:22 Hosts Welcome and Introduction

Skip to: 01:38 Sake Education Corner: The Alcohol Added Sake Classifications

There are four grades or classification levels of “aruten” or alcohol-added styles of sake with three of them considered premium. Aruten is of course sake made with a small amount of added distilled alcohol. There are four grades of alcohol added sake: Futsu-shu: this is non-premium table sake with no rice milling requirement. Honjozo: Sake made with added alcohol and rice milled to 70% OR LESS remaining. Ginjo: Sake made with added alcohol and rice milled to 60% OR LESS remaining. And Daiginjo: Sake made with added alcohol and rice milled to 50% OR LESS remaining. One important note. Achieving a certain milling rate does not require the brewer to classify the sake in the most premium category they qualify for. For example, sake rice milled to 55% remaining could make a Ginjo OR a honjozo grade sake, but does not qualify for Daiginjo. Sake rice milled to 45% remaining, could be classified and sold as a Daiginjo, Ginjo or Honjozo. The chart below illustrates the four alcohol added grades and their associated rice milling percentages:

See the Full classification chart here.

Skip to: 12:05 Sake Tasting: Overviews
Intro into this week’s sakes.

Skip to: 12:26 Sake Tasting: Kubota Senju Ginjo

Kubota Senju Ginjo

Brewery: Asahi Shuzo (Niigata)
Classification: Ginjo
Acidity: 1.0
Alcohol: 15.5%
Prefecture: Niigata
Seimaibuai: 55%
SMV: +6.0
Rice Type: Gohyakumangoku
Brand: Kubota (久保田)
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Skip to: 19:30 Sake Tasting: Ura-Gasanryu “Shoka” Namazume Muroka Honjozo

Ura-Gasanryu “Shoka” Namazume Muroka Honjozo

Brewery: Shindo Shuzoten
Alcohol: 14.5%
Acidity: 1.3
Classification: Honjozo, Muroka, Namazume
Prefecture: Yamagata
Rice Type: Miyamanishiki
Seimaibuai: 65%
SMV: +5.0
Brand: Ura-Gasanryu (裏・雅山流)
Importer: JFC
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