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Sake (nihonshu) is Japan’s iconic rice wine, and understanding a few basics turns a confusing shelf into a delicious adventure. Here’s a beginner’s guide plus what to buy.
Sake grades, decoded
- Junmai — pure rice sake, no added alcohol; rich and full.
- Ginjo — rice polished more (≥40% removed); fruity and fragrant.
- Daiginjo — highly polished (≥50% removed); delicate, premium.
- Honjozo — a little distilled alcohol added; light and easy.
- Nigori — cloudy, unfiltered, often sweet.
“Junmai Daiginjo” simply means pure-rice and highly polished — usually the premium end.
Sweet or dry?
Check the Sake Meter Value (SMV / nihonshu-do): positive = drier, negative = sweeter. Beginners often enjoy a fruity ginjo or a slightly sweet nigori.
Hot or cold?
Premium ginjo/daiginjo shine chilled. Rustic junmai and honjozo can be lovely warm (kan) in cooler months. Cheap sake is often served hot to smooth it out.
What to try
- Dassai — a famous, approachable daiginjo, easy to find.
- Regional jizake — local brews from Niigata, Nagano, and Tohoku are prized.
- Tasting flights — many Kyoto and Tokyo bars offer sampler sets.
Where to buy & bring home
- Department-store basements (depachika), sake specialty shops, and Don Quijote.
- Buy tax-free with your passport — see tax-free shopping.
- From abroad, find bottles and sake sets on Amazon , or use a proxy service for rare labels.
Pair your bottle with the right cup — see our Japanese ceramics guide. Prefer whisky? Read our Japanese whisky guide.