THE NUANCED WORLD OF SAKE

Sake is often misunderstood in the United States, being either confused with a distilled spirit, or dismissed as a nebulous “rice wine,” or thought of mainly as something novel to drink hot with sushi. In truth, sake is brewed, like beer, from rice and water transformed by koji mold and yeast. What distinguishes one sake from another is far more complex.

The most talked-about factor in the current market is the seimaibuai (polishing ratio), which indicates how much of each rice grain remains after being milled by special machinery. A ratio of 70 percent seimaibuai means 30 percent of the grain has been milled away; the lower the number, the more delicate and aromatic the sake. The main style categories associated with polishing are: junmai, traditionally 70 percent or less; junmai ginjo, 60 percent or less; and junmai daiginjo, 50 percent or less. To add context, a milling machine capable of reaching 60 percent did not exist until 1908.

But polishing is only one axis, and a relatively recent one at that. Rice variety matters enormously. Yamada Nishiki is often called the “king of sake rice,” while Gohyakumangoku, Omachi, and Miyama Nishiki each bring their own personality. Japan cultivates over 100 varieties of sake-brewing rice, called sakamai.

Water is another decisive factor. As any avid water drinker knows, water can be hard or soft on the palate, which lends to bolder or more delicate sake. Yeast strains, too, shape fragrance and flavor.

Brewing method is equally critical. Before a full tank of sake rice can ferment, brewers prepare a small, concentrated culture of yeast strong enough to dominate the process, a “mother” for those familiar with vinegar or kombucha. In the sake world, this stage is called the shubo.

The kimoto method is the oldest and most labor-intensive: brewers mash rice, water, and koji with poles (yama-oroshi), creating conditions that encourage lactic acid bacteria to acidify the mash. This lactic acid kills off wild microbes and clears the way for yeast to multiply into a vigorous shubo. The yamahai method skips the pole-mashing, leaving the mash to develop lactic acid on its own in warmer conditions, which is a riskier process because competing microbes have more time to intrude. Both methods take about 30 days to ready the shubo. By contrast, the modern sokujo method adds food-grade lactic acid directly, cutting the phase down to about two weeks.

These approaches do not just differ in microbiology; they shape the finished sake. Kimoto often yields earthy, umami-rich depth with firm acidity. Yamahai is typically bolder, richer, gamier, sometimes funky, giving sake heft and complexity. Sokujo produces cleaner, lighter, fruit-driven styles that feel more modern to many drinkers.

Another major distinction is whether sake is fortified with a small amount of distilled alcohol. Modern sake falls into two camps: junmai (pure rice, no fortification), which includes the three seimaibuai designations above, and honjozo (fortified). Fortification rose in popularity once distillation became widespread, as it stretched rice supplies, gave lighter, more fragrant sake, and helped stabilize the product. So while junmai is often framed as the category of tradition and purity, fortified styles remain common in Japan.

Finally, a wide array of style markers adds further nuance, such as nigori (cloudy), nama (unpasteurized), genshu (undiluted), and sparkling, to name a few.

Given our limitation to three bottles, we focused on two different junmai categories and one junmai defined by a distinctive style.

NIGORI AND ITS RUSTIC CHARM

Nigori means “cloudy” in Japanese, and the nigori sake appears milky because this brewing style is less filtered, deliberately leaving a portion of the rice solids in suspension, which besides the appearance gives the sake a creamy, textured mouthfeel. Nigori is often lightly sweet and for many first-time drinkers, it is the most approachable style. Also, its weight and sweetness can stand up to spicy foods in a way few other sakes can.

Kurosawa Sake Brewery is a 6th generation family enterprise, established in 1858, on a tributary of the longest river in Japan, the Chikuma River in central Japan in the mountains of Nagano. In 1996 a young sake importer, Jun Tanaka, discovered the brewery and convinced the owners to allow him to work directly with the brewers to dedicate a portion of their portfolio of kimoto-style sake into something that would resonate with American palates. The Kurosawa brand debuted in 1998 during the Nagano Olympics and quickly became one of the best-recognized sake names in the U.S

Featured September Amaro Wine Club sake selection: Kurosawa Nigori
RICE VARIETAL: Miyama Nishiki
SEIMAIBUAI: 70 percent
BREWING METHOD: kimoto
REGION: Kanto, Japan

With its Nigori-style sake, Kurosawa aims to give drinkers the raw, straight-from-the-tank experience, with sweetness and weight coming from the retained rice.

FOOD PAIRINGS: spicy tuna roll, spicy scallop roll, chicken teriyaki, chili edamame, kinpira gobo, ika ring fry, kimuchi, fruit desserts

Mountains of Nagano in Central Japan

Tributary of the longest river in Japan, the Chikuma River

JUNMAI GINJO MEETS MODERN CRAFT

As mentioned previously, Junmai Ginjo represents a more polished, fragrant style of sake, achieved by milling the rice further than for a Junmai. By getting closer to the core of the rice grain, the fermentation reveals more floral aromatics and a more delicate structure on the palate. They are best enjoyed chilled or at room temperature, highlighting their elegance.

In this case, we selected one of the first examples of this refined style to be produced outside Japan. Brooklyn Kura, founded in Industry City, Brooklyn, is one of the first American sake breweries. Drawing on Japanese tradition, the producer emphasizes local water and rice, and its goal is to demystify sake for the U.S. market.

Brooklyn Kura is based in Industry City

Brooklyn Kura's debut lineup

Featured September Amaro Wine Club sake selection: Brooklyn Kura “Ashokan” Junmai Ginjo
RICE VARIETAL: Yamada Nishiki
SEIMAIBUAI: 60 percent
BREWING METHOD: sokujo
REGION: Brooklyn, New York

The name ‘Ashokan’ honors the reservoir that supplies New York with some of the purest water in the country, underscoring how central water is to sake brewing.

FOOD PAIRINGS: sashimi, grilled chicken, creamy pastas, washed-rind cheeses, spring vegetables

JUNMAI GROUNDED IN TRADITION

Junmai, literally “pure rice,” is the original gangster of sake. It predates both the spread of distillation (so no fortification) and the technology to polish rice below 70 percent. The result is a sake that is fuller-bodied, and more “rice-forward,” meaning you are going to taste more of the outer layers of protein and fat that are natural to a rice grain. Think umami over aromatics.

Ozawa Shuzo is one of Tokyo’s oldest breweries, founded in 1702. It is in the mountain valleys of Ome, and it draws its water from the mountains where it is naturally filtered over a decade through rock and soil.

Mountain valley of Ome outside of Tokyo

The outside and the inside of the Sawanoi brewery

Featured September Amaro Wine Club sake selection: Sawanoi “Ginjirushi” Junmai
RICE VARIETAL: Unspecified “brewer’s rice”
SEIMAIBUAI: 80 percent
BREWING METHOD: sokujo
REGION: Ome, Western Tokyo Prefecture, Japan

Ginjirushi Junmai is intentionally rustic as an example of the brewery’s attempt to reflect an old-world side of sake brewing, where rice and water speak most directly.

FOOD PAIRINGS: grilled fish, tempura, vegetable tempura, rich umami-driven dishes