Sake Knowledge 101

Written by Lisa Nakamura, Photograph by Rick Collins

On May 25,  Mariko Tajiri  from That’s life Importers of Fine Wines and Premium Sakes visited Miku to host a sake knowledge training and tasting for staff. The session inspired me to write the following post:

85% of the time I mention sake to the people in my hometown of Calgary, a.k.a. Cowtown, I get the the same reaction – ” YAHH!! Let’s do sake bombs!!!” A sake bomb is a drop shot of sake into beer (sometimes jazzed up with a drop or two of Chambord Royale), and in recent years, has made its way into popular culture amongst the cultured Y-generation as one of the drinks-of-choice for weekend intoxication. Usually mixing Japanese beers and the American-made Gekkeikan sake, it is the ultimate rebellion of the art of sake; completely discounting sake‘s refined properties viscosity, weight, and texture. But hey, to a drunken Cowtown cowboy, what difference does it make whether it’s a sake made is Folsom, California or the Junmai Daiginjo from Niigata, Japan? Where the heck is Folsom, California anyways?

Gaining sake knowledge is one of the most challenging part for servers, managers and bartenders at Miku Restaurant. It’s not as widely studied about like wine, but comes with a similar exclusivity and complexity. Tastes and aromas can be bold, subtle, and at times, intangible to explanation. Where and how a sake is made is just as important as to how is it served and what it’s paired with. Most importantly, like a fine wine, it needs to have a proper beginning, middle and end – sake is an experience in itself.

So here are a few notes to get your started on your sake journey – we’d like to thank Mariko Tajiri of That’s Life Importers of Fine Wines and Premium Sakes for an informative sake knowledge seminar.

• There are four key elements that determine the grade of sake: the quality of the rice varietal, the polishing percentage of the rice, the quality and source of the natural spring water and the human touch (how it is made, served, house style)
• To determine quality of a sake, it’s important to look at the label to see the percentage of rice polishing. For example, the Kouzuki Daiginjo is 65% polished (milling). Increased milling is labour-intensive, and removes more of the fats, proteins, and amino acids that lead to unwanted flavors and aromas in the brewing process. Ginjo-shu (premium sake) has at least 40% or more milled away. Daiginjo (super premium sake) has at least 50% or more milled away.
• Lower grades of sake usually contain a large amount of distilled alcohol to increase yield – premium sakes with the word ‘Junmai‘ in the name are pure rice sake, no distilled alcohol
• Properties of sake are balance, viscosity, weight, texture, and temperature
• Types of sake: Junmai-shu, Honjozo-shu, Ginjo-shu, Daiginjo-shu, Junmai Ginjo/Daiginjo, Namazake, Nigori, Yamahai-shikomi/Kimoto
• Last, but not least, “Cheers!’ in Japanese is “Kanpai!”