A guide to the sake grades (and the best dishes to pair with them)

In the past decade or two, brands like Suntory and Nikka have brought Japanese whisky to rocks glasses across the globe. Japanese beer, too, has continued its strong march, thanks to giants like Kirin and Asahi. Sake, though – a beverage as quintessentially Japanese as tequila is Mexican – has remained a little on the outer. The shy guy hovering by the punch bowl at the party, full of great stories, if only someone would ask. 

Turns out, the world of sake is as deep and wide as wine, beer, whisky or any of our other favourites. When we talk about sake, we’re talking about a category more than a single drink, with a huge variation in flavours, textures and styles that each lend to particular serving temperatures, food pairings and individual preferences. So, if you’re looking to get a toehold in the sake world, read on.

Sake is made from rice, rice koji, yeast, water and, in some cases, additional alcohol. Sake made without added alcohol is broadly called junmai (which translates as ‘pure rice’), which distinguishes it from honjozo and other alcohol-added styles. Rice koji is a type of fungus (generally Aspergillus oryzae, which you’ll also find in miso and shoyu) that converts the starches in rice into sugars, which yeast can then ferment into alcohol. When that happens, it’s sake time.

Sake, though, has plenty of variation on that theme, and most of it comes down to how the rice is treated before koji and yeast get involved. The signature technique of sake production is called rice polishing – a process that removes the fats and proteins from the outer layers of the rice (they aren’t all that delicious in this context) and leaves the rich, starchy middle. 

But not all of that outer layer is removed, and the amount of rice that remains after the polishing process is an important part of how sake is graded. The amount left is called seimaibuai and expressed as a percentage of the rice’s original weight that remains after polishing.

There are plenty of factors that affect the way sake is graded or categorised – the brewing technique, the rice-polishing percentage, whether it’s junmai or not. These aren’t value judgements – don’t think of sake grading like your teacher slapping a big red F on your school test, but more like ways of helping you navigate the rich and complex world of sake. Below, we run through how the grades work, but keep in mind that some styles can be a little harder to find than others.

• Ginjo

Ginjo is both a technique and grade. The technique – which had a bit of a moment in the 1980s – uses a low-temperature extended brewing time to achieve a smooth, refined flavour. Sake graded as ginjo uses additional alcohol in the brew (so it’s not junmai) and has a rice polishing rate of 60% and under. 

Expect ginjo sake to be fairly delicate, often with a complex flavour and a fruity, floral aroma called ginjo-ka. Ginjo is generally served chilled, but it can also be great at room temperature or even warm – it’s totally up to you.

Try it with: Sushi, sashimi, grilled whiting or other light, white fish would make a great match.

• Daiginjo

Daiginjo is a variation on ginjo sake. It uses the extended ginjo brewing technique and additional alcohol but differs from ginjo in that it goes further with the rice polishing – 50% here. That extra polishing means that daiginjo is even smoother, more complex and those fruity and floral aromas really sing out. Like ginjo, daiginjo is usually served chilled but it’s not a hard-and-fast rule.

Try it with: We’d go for a roast chicken or a simple spread of aromatic fish, rice and greens.

• Junmai

You know junmai by now – this is the category of sake that doesn’t add alcohol to the process. Additional alcohol, by the way, isn’t a bad thing or an attempt to inflate the ABV – it’s simply another way to eke out flavour and complexity. Without alcohol added, the idea is to let the purity of the rice and the koji come through even more.

Sake that’s classed only as junmai will tell you that alcohol was not added, but it doesn’t stipulate much more than that. Junmai sake doesn’t have any rice-polishing requirements, which means there could be a wide spectrum of flavours, aromas and textures waiting for you. Typically, junmai is dry, brightly acidic and leans towards umami flavours. 

Try it with: Grilled meats, lighter fried dishes like tempura or Western-style fish and chips.

• Junmai ginjo

Now we’re starting to see how all the categories interlock in this beautiful system. Junmai ginjo is sake that’s, as you'd guess, both junmai and ginjo – that is, no alcohol added in the slow, low-temp ginjo-style brew with rice that’s 60% polished. That means you get the best of both worlds, with junmai providing a subtle umami flavour profile, and floral, fruity characters from the ginjo technique. Ideally, this is serve chilled.

Try it with: Soft, creamy cheeses, deep-fried bites and yakitori.

• Junmai daiginjo

Junmai daiginjo is often considered the most premium of all sake and, while it’s not necessarily the best (that’s always up to personal taste) it really does refine the techniques used in production. This sake is similar in most ways to junmai ginjo except the weight of the rice after polishing must be 50% or less than it started out, resulting in a bright, umami, refined and floral sake. This is another one that’s best served chilled.

Try it with: Creamy pastas and risottos, or roast pork belly.

• Tokubetsu Junmai

Alright, here’s where things get a little curly. The word tokubetsu means ‘special’ and, when you see it, you’ll know the brewer has done something out of the ordinary. Maybe it’s fermenting in a different tank, using a non-standard type of rice, polishing less than is typically required. Basically, a tokubetsu junmai sake is junmai, but with something else going on. In typical junmai fashion, you’ll get the flavours of rice and koji at the fore, plus whatever else the brewer has decided will make it ‘tokubetsu’.

Try it with: Meatier dishes and cheeses. 

• Honjozo

Honjozo sake is probably less on the radar than either junmai or ginjo, but it’s a popular variation with its own thing going. ‘Jozo’ is the brewer’s alcohol that’s added, which makes honjozo similar to ginjo in that sense. Honjozo sake, though, doesn’t use the ginjo brewing method and also has a different criteria for rice polishing – 70% or less. Honjozo is known as a lighter style of sake, which makes it a real food-friendly option. Serve honjozo chilled or warm – that’s entirely up to you.

Try it with: Being light in flavour, honjozo is a great match with delicate food like sushi, sashimi and salads.

• Tokubetsu Honjozo

The last of the main categories, tokubetsu honjozo is an alcohol-added sake but, unlike straight honjozo, needs a rice polishing percentage of 60% or below. The ‘tokubetsu’ here can be any special brewing technique, which means you’ll need to check the label to find out anything specific.

Try it with: Yakitori and richer fish dishes.