A Tank of Divine Gift

Japanese sake-brewing was inscribed by UNESCO on its list of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity” in 2024. Takehiro Kano, the delegation welcomed the announcement in Luque, Paraguay, “it is considered a divine gift and is essential for social and cultural events in Japan.”

This craft knowledge can date back some 1,000 years. Sake has made a cameo in “The Tale of Genji”, a Japanese classical novel in the 11th century, as the drink of choice in the refined Heian court. Nowadays, one can savour it in Izakayas and serve it as special toasts, such as weddings.

Rice, water, yeast (酵母) and koji (麴) are the 4 basic ingredients. Steaming, stirring, fermenting and pressing takes approximately 2 months. The two-stage conversion, in which koji enzymes convert the starch in the rice into glucose (aka saccharification), and the yeast converts the created glucose into alcohol (aka fermentation) occurs simultaneously in the same moromi tank.

Exterior shell of rice is removed and only the kernel (カーネル) is used in the brewing. Rice polishing ratio (精米歩合) regarded as an indication of how much the original grain has been removed. A polishing ratio of 60% indicates that 40% has been removed before the process.

The more the rice is polished, the stronger the aroma and more delicate the flavor. Sake with a low polishing ratio is more expensive. A polishing ratio of 50% or less is known as Daiginjo-shu (大吟醸) and Junmai Daiginjo-shu (純米大吟醸). 60% or less is called Ginjo-shu (吟醸) and Junmai Ginjo-shu (純米吟醸); and 70% or less Honjozo-shu (本醸造) and Junmai-shu (純米).

Among alcohol produced with traditional brewing are sake (清酒), shochu (​燒酎)​, awamori (泡盛), as well as mirin sweet cooking rice wine (味醂). Produced in Okinawa, awamori is regarded as Japan's oldest distilled spirit, dating back around 600 years from the Ryukyu Kingdom.

While the younger Japanese drinkers switch to imported wine or domestic beer and whisky, the popularity of sake booms around the world. According to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, sake exports amount to over US$265 million annually, mostly to the US and China.

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