Understanding Sake: Explaining Style and Quality

112 Pages·2016·128.767 MB·English

by  Wine & Spirit Education Trust

Understanding
sal,e:E xplaining
style and quality
An accompaniment to
WSET® Level 3 Award
in Sake
,
Understanding
sal{e:E xplaining
style and quality
,
An accompaniment to
WSET® Level 3 Award
in Sake
With a foreword by Kenichi Ohashi MW
Technical edit (Chapters 1-15) by the
National Research Institute of Brewing
Wine & Spirit Education Trust
39-45 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF
ll?'ilwl [email protected]
wsetglobal.com
CJW ine & Spirit Education Trust 2016
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior permission in writing from the publishers.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ..
ISBN 978 1 905819 49 2
PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS
17,1 9, 23, 27, 28, 30, 42 (bottom all 5 images), 77 (Rob Lawson); 38 (Images 5, 6, 7), 39 (images 1, 2, 3, 4) (Sekiya Brewery); 38 (image 8), 74 (Tim
Sullivan); 47 (both), 89 (National Research Institute of Brewing); 51 (image 8), 58 (left) (Akita Shurui Seizoh); 58 (right) (Daishichi Brewery); 86
(Natsuki Romano-Kikuya ;l,!i-fj1-,, 7 -()
WSET: 4, 5, 42 (top), 43 (both), 44 (all), 45 (top, bottom), 50 (images 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), 51 (images 9, 10, 11,1 2, 13), 55, 59 (both), 63 (top), 67 (images 1,
2), 68 (top, image 1), 69 (images 1, 2), 70, 73, 78 (Antony Moss MW illi"'1t ,, 7 -( ); 45 (middle), 63 (bottom) (Nicholas King).
COVER PICTURE
(BloombergY[BloombergYGetty Images
LABELS
13 (top left) (Schicida Brewery); 13 (top right) (Taka Brewery); 13 (bottom, both) (lsojiman Brewery)
MAPS
Maps designed by Cosmographics Ltd
DIAGRAMS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
Diagrams and illustrations produced by CalowCraddock Ltd
Designed by Peter Dolton
Editing by Cambridge Editorial Ltd
Proofreading by Jo'e Coleby
Technical edit (Chapters 1-15) by the National Research Institute of Brewing (NRIB)
Production services by Wayment Print & Publishing Solutions Ltd
Printed and bound In the UK by Pureprint
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iii
Contents
Foreword iv
Introduction vii
Section 1: An Introduction to Sake
1 What is Sake?
2 An Overview of Sake Production 3
3 Sake Labelling Terms 11
Section 2: Sake and the Consumer
4 The Systematic Approach to Tasting Sake® 16
5 Storage and Service of Sake 27
6 Sake and Food 31
Section 3: Factors Affecting the Style and
Quality of Sake
7 Rice Cultivation 34
8 Rice Preparation 41
9 Preparing Koji 46
10 Water and Yeast 53
11 The Fermentation Starter (Shubo/Moto) 57
12 The Main Fermentation (Moromi) 61
13 Jozo Alcohol and Filtration 66
14 Finishing 72
15 Speciality Styles of Sake 76
Section 4: The Final Product and its Markets
16 Japanese Sake Labels and Kanji 80
17 The Global Sake Industry 85
Maps 94
Glossary of Japanese Words 96
Acknowledgements 101
Index 102
iv
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V
Foreword
Hello, everyone. My name is Kenichi Ohashi MW, and I come from Japan - the home of sake.
I run the Tokyo-based wine and sake consultancy firm Red Bridge Co. Ltd, and also Yamajin
Co. Ltd, a distribution company for alcoholic beverages produced in Japan.
Japanese sake is one of the categories I am very deeply involved with, and I currently
preside as Sake Co-Chairman of the world's largest sake competition, which forms part of the
International Wine Challenge (London). I am also a Sake Expert Assessor of the National
Research Institute of Brewing (NRIB), and from these different positions I promote Japanese
sake on the world stage.
Through WSET's wine qualifications, I have learned much about wine from an objective
standpoint. As someone who has never left Japan, I studied wine in detail over many years
from a 'Japanese' perspective. However, when aiming to become a Master of Wine, I was told
by a friend, who is a Master of Wine, that I should study for the WSET Diploma. In doing so, I
discovered new viewpoints at every turn, and learned how to think from a broad-based, global
perspective. At the same time, the course enabled me to see Japan's very specific approach
in a new light.
Now, following careful proofreading by NRIB, WSET has added Japanese sake - our
national beverage - to its worldwide educational programme. This marks not only the
internationalisation of Japanese sake, but also signifies how WSET is one of the keys to its
promotion around the world. From a Japanese perspective too, being able to learn about
Japanese sake objectively through this programme has great significance in terms of the
international promotion of sake, and therefore this qualification is of great importance.
Together with Antony Moss MW and Natsuki Kikuya (a global educator of sake), I myself
am an examiner who assesses educators, and I am already a certificate holder, having passed
the Level 3 Award in Sake examination. This examination encompasses detailed knowledge
of Japanese sake, as well as the practical aspects, and I believe it is a wonderful programme.
I encourage you wholeheartedly to learn together with us about the Japanese tradition of
sake, both from a Japanese and international perspective!
Kenichi Ohashi MW

vii
Introduction
WSET has only been actively involved with the world of sake since 2013. Nevertheless
in three years the WSET has been able to gain the support and trust of the global sake
community thanks to the passion and drive of our colleagues.
However, it takes more than desire to put together a qualification such as the Level 3
Award in Sake. It takes a huge amount of researching, planning and testing. It has been
a thrilling ride for our colleagues as they became immersed in the uniquely wonderful
world of sake that is now starting to get the global attention it so justly deserves. The
result of all this hard work is this new book Understanding sake: Explaining style and
quality which we are delighted has the support of the National Research Institute of
Brewing located in Saijo in Hiroshima Prefecture.
This book not only offers a very detailed and comprehensive overview of the
techniques used in the production of sake - it also explains how these techniques are
combined to produce the impressive array of different styles that brewers are able to
tease out of a humble grain of rice. This desire to explain and get under the skin of a
subject so that students can be equipped with understanding as well as knowledge is
what lies at the heart of our Level 3 qualifications.
We hope that you enjoy reading this book and if you are studying for the Level 3
Award in Sake then I wish you every success in the examination .
l
Ian Harris
Chief Executive, Wine & Spirit Education Trust

WHAT IS SAKE?
What is Sake?
This chapter explains in simple terms what sake is, and the ways in which it 1
differs from other familiar alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine and spirits.
Sake is an alcoholic beverage made from polished around 40% abv) and keeps its delicate acidity intact.
(white) rice. This makes sake more similar to wine and beer.
Because rice is a starchy solid, two other ingredients However, like some kinds of wine, certain kinds of
(water and a type of mouldy rice called k/5}1)a re used sake have a small amount of high strength distilled
together to transform the solid rice into a sugary liquid. alcohol added (see Chapter 13 Ji5zi5 Alcohol and
The fourth ingredient (yeast) converts those sugars into Filtration for more details).
alcohol using a process called fermentation, to make
an alcoholic beverage we can drink. HOW SAKE IS DIFFERENT FROM WINE
Before describing the details of how these Like wine, sake is a fermented beverage. It has an
ingredients are used to make sake, it is helpful to alcoholic strength that is similar to wine. However,
contrast sake with some other common alcoholic the use of rice as a raw material, rather than grapes,
beverages. This way it is possible to show why sake results in very different flavours and requires different
is in a category of its own, and therefore cannot production processes.
accurately be considered as a special kind of beer, Grapes contain high levels of acids and distinct
wine or spirit. aromas and flavours that are expressed in the final
wine. Black grapes additionally contain colour pigments
HOW SAKE IS DIFFERENT FROM SPIRITS (to make the wine red) and preservative tannins (that
Sake is a relatively strong alcoholic beverage (around give red wine a dry, mouth-drying texture rather like
15-17% abv), but its alcoholic strength is closer to that black tea). Colour and tannins are absent in polished
of wine (12-14% abv), rather than to that of spirits such {white) rice, and there is very little acidity and flavour.
as whisky, vodka or brandy (around 40% abv). The The production process usually adds little or none of
reason for this difference is simple. these, so a 'typical' sake is almost colourless, lacks
After the yeast has fermented the sugars into alcohol, tannins, is only delicately acidic and its flavours are
spirits need to go through an additional production more delicate than those of wine.
process to concentrate that alcohol further. This process
is called distillation, and is typically achieved by heating HOW SAKE IS DIFFERENT FROM BEER
the fermented alcoholic liquid so the alcohol selectively Like sake, beer is made from starchy, solid, cereal
boils off, and then cooling the separated alcoholic grains but it differs in a number of ways.
vapour so that it can be collected as a more highly Comparing beer and sake, the starch-to-sugar
concentrated alcoholic liquid. conversion uses very different methods. In beer
Most of the aromas and flavours are captured with production, whole unpolished grains (usually barley)
the alcohol, but most of the water and acidity is left are encouraged to start germinating, and this makes
behind. the grains produce substances (called enzymes) that
Sake is not a spirit because it is not distilled. As such, convert their densely stored starch into fermentable
it has moderate alcohol (around 15-17% abv, rather than sugar. This process is called malting. Once the enzymes
are released, the grains are heated to dry them out.
This halts the conversion process and stops the grains
Table 1: A comparison between spirits and sake. growing into cereal plants, but leaves the chemicals
SPIRITS SAKE available for the brewer to use to break starch down
into fermentable sugar. These grains are called malt.
Is it distilled? Always Never
Sake is made from polished rice. It is not possible to
Typicaal lcoholics trength( %a bv) Around4 0%a bv 15-17%a bv
make polished rice grains germinate because the part
Table 2: A comparison between wine and sake.
WINE( grapeju ice) SAKE(p olishedr ice)
Whatc ant he raw materialc ontributet o the final product? • Colour( fromb lackg rapes,i f used) • No colour
• Intensed, istincta romasa ndf lavours • Veryl ittle flavour
• Tannins(f romb lackg rapes,i f used) • No tannin
• Highl evelso f acids • Veryl ittle acid
Doest he raw materialc ontainf ermentables ugars? Yes No
Is the raw materiala solid or a liquid? Liquid Solid