Sake Terminology

Daiginjō-shu
大吟醸酒
Also known simply as "daiginjō." Super premium sakemade with rice milled down to 50% or less of its originalsize

Futsū-shu
普通酒
"Normal" sake, "regular" sake, "table" sake, i.e. non-premium sake, which makes up about 74% of the market.

Genshu
原酒
Undiluted sake, often higher in alcohol content.

Ginjō-shu
吟醸酒
Also known simply as "ginjō". Premium or perhaps superpremium sake in general. There are four subtypes: ginjō-shu,junmai ginjō-shu, daiginjō-shu, and junmai daiginjō-shu,and collectively they are known as "ginjō-shu," andcomprise about 7% of all sake.

Junmai Ginjō-shu
純米吟醸酒
A grade of premium sake made with rice milled to at least60% of its original size and from rice, water and kōji only.

Junmai-shu
純米酒
Also known simply as "junmai," made with no addedalcohol, only rice, water and Kōji. The seimai-buai must belisted on the label

Muroka
無濾過
Unfiltered, not as in nigori-zake, but as in not charcoalfiltered after brewing.

Namazake
生酒
Unpasteurized sake.

Kimoto
生酛
A method of preparing the yeast starter that involves naturallactic bacteria and mixing with poles; the original method ofpreparing the yeast starter (at least going back severalhundred years).

Kōbo
酵母
Yeast.

Kōji
麹
Rice onto which koji mold (aspergillus oryzae) has beengrown, a key ingredient in sake brewing. Koji providessaccharification and more.

Namazake
生酒
Unpasteurized sake.