What is Junmai Sake?

One term that will eventually come up when you’re getting into Sake is “Junmai”. But what does it mean and how important is it really?

Rice & Water & Koji & …

Junmai-shu [純米酒] can be translated as “pure/unmixed rice sake”, which means that no additives have been added. Additives!? Well, with the exception of regular sake (futsu-shu), where brewers also may add sugar or organic acids to achieve the desired profile, alcohol is the only additive allowed in sake production.

Some brewers may chose to add a small amount of alcohol to the mash (usually imported, high-proof spirit, which has been distilled multiple times to be completely free of any aroma or flavour of its own) just before pressing. The higher alcohol level helps to extract more aroma compounds from the lees. Later, the alcohol level is lowered again by adding water – the goal is not to create a stronger, more alcoholic sake! Sake labeled as Honjozo, Ginjo or Daiginjo has been produced with this method.

Junmai simply means that no alcohol has been added during production.

Of course, any sake labelled as junmai also has to fulfil the general requirements for specially-designated sake (anything that’s not ordinary sake/futsushu), which means they have to use rice of a certain quality grade and at least 15% of the total rice volume used has to be koji-treated rice.

Junmai is more than just one type of sake. The term can be applied regardless of polishing ratio.

Junmai-style sake can be produced with rice polished to any degree. You can make junmai ginjo as well as junmai daiginjo, from rice polished to at least 60% or 50% respectively.

In fact, for sake labeled just as junmai, there is no required minimum polishing ratio at all; but most brewers will chose a value somewhere around 70%. At this point the rice is relatively easy to work with and supplies enough character to achieve the umami-rich, full flavour that junmai sake is typically known for. A lower polishing rate is also more economical, as you naturally will lose some of the volume during polishing, the process itself is very time consuming, and – depending on the rice variety– there is a higher chance that the grains might break up.

(Adobe Stock)

Is junmai sake always better?

The translation of junmai as “pure” sake naturally brings up all kinds of associations. Healthy and environmentally-conscious consumption has become a mainstream trend in recent years, and the idea of a “pure” sake fits right in. Some salespeople promote junmai sake as a more authentic or even healthier sake, using “additives” as a scare word to imply that other sakes contain all kinds of strange chemicals. (both claims are untrue)

In the sake community, too, there is a strong faction of dedicated junmai-lovers, who might tell you that non-junmai sake is of lower quality. But in fact, you can find good and bad sakes in either category – in the end, a brewer’s skill and dedication is what makes the difference.

It’s junmai, but is it better?

Some highly regarded breweries choose to make only junmai-style sake, but this is more a reflection of current consumer preferences – or simply the head brewer’s personal taste.

It is true that the honjozo technique of first adding alcohol and then diluting the final brew with water can be used as a cheap way to get more sake out of a tank. But the minimal guidelines for junmai classification also leave a lot of space for cost-conscious breweries to produce large volumes at low prices.

A large company well-known for their umeshu (Japanese apricot liqueur), for example, produces a junmai sake for export (shipped in bulk from Japan and bottled locally). It’s available in the “exotic food” section of many European supermarkets; on Amazon you can get a box of six for 40 EUR – around 6 EUR per bottle, which is about the same as the very cheapest junmai-sake you can find in Japan. At this price point, it’s perfectly fine sake – but far from a superior-quality craft product.

When it comes to the difference between junmai ginjo/daiginjo and “regular” ginjo or daiginjo, it’s simply a matter of taste. A junmai ginjo might be a bit more round and full-flavoured, while its non-junmai counterpart is probably more elegant, clean and light. Both can have their own appeal.

There are great discoveries to be made at every price point and in every category of sake!