sake_vocaburaly

Amazake: Sake made by mixing koji rice into mochigome (glutinous rice) porridge and leaving it at a temperature of approximately 55｡C for 24 hours. Also called "ichiyazake" (overnight sake) or "namezake."

Arabashiri: The white, cloudy sake that first comes out when the fermented moromi (final mash) is squeezed out from the cotton sacks used for filtration. It has a distinctly fresh taste and aroma.

Awamori: A distilled spirit made from rice and produced chiefly in Okinawa Prefecture. The ingredients are indica rice and black koji mold. It has a unique aroma and a slightly sweet taste.

Brewer's Alcohol: Alcohol made from starch or sugar. Adding the right amount of this to the moromi results in sake that is highly aromatic and clear-flavored. Also, adding alcohol prevents the creation of too much lactic acid bacteria, which can cause deterioration in the flavor of sake.

Chozo (storage): After pasteurization, the storage and aging of sake in tanks prior to bottling. During this period, sake matures and the rather harsh flavor of new sake becomes mellow. Usually, sake is stored at a temperature of 15 to 20｡C but ginjo sake and namazake are stored at 2｡C.

Daiginjo-shu: Refined sake made from rice that is polished to at least 50% of its original size, koji rice, water and brewer's alcohol.
Dakushu (cloudy sake)/Doburoku: Sake that is drunk without filtering or that is filtered with open-weave cloth. Solid particles of rice and koji rice remain in the sake. The yeast is still alive and produces carbonated gas.

Fermentation: Fermentation occurs when sugar is converted to alcohol by yeast. Starch is converted into sugar by saccharification enzymes in the koji rice, and this sugar is converted into alcohol by yeast. This process occurs simultaneously in sake brewing and is called multiple parallel fermentation.
Fune (ship): A large, rectangular container used to squeeze the fermented moromi and separate it into sake and sakekasu. It is thus named because the shape resembles a ship.
Futsu-shu (normal sake): Sake made by adding brewer's alcohol and/or sugar (glucose, thick malt syrup, etc.) to produce a lighter sake. Also called "futsu jozo-shu". The amount of alcohol added depends on the type of sake to be made, but is usually 500 liters (which makes up 30% of the total weight of rice and alcohol) per each ton of polished rice.

Genshu: Sake that is not diluted with water (this does not include dilution with water of less than 1% alcohol content) after filtration and is immediately bottled. The alcohol level is kept at the original percentage. Most sakes have an alcohol content of 14 to 16% while the alcohol level of genshu is 18 to 20%.
Ginjo-shu: Refined sake brewed with rice polished to at least 60% of its original size, koji rice, water and brewer's alcohol. Ginjo sake can be divided into two types: "kaori ginjo," which emphasizes aroma, and "aji ginjo," which emphasizes taste.

Hi-ire: To pasteurize the sake at 60 to 65｡C. This kills off unwanted bacteria that cause the sake to spoil and deactivates enzymes that remain in the sake and cause the temperature to rise. Hi-ire prevents the quality of sake from deteriorating. Most sakes other than namashu, etc. are pasteurized before storage and before bottling.
Hiochi: When sake is contaminated by bacteria called hiochi-kin, the sake turns cloudy, produces acids, gives off a strange odor and becomes undrinkable. This used to happen often in the storage and aging period during the summer months from June to September. However, thanks to quality control, pasteurization and sterilization, it rarely happens these days.
Hiya-oroshi: Sake that is pasteurized once before storage, left to age during the summer and bottled without pasteurizing for shipment in the fall. The term comes from the old days when sake was filled in casks cold (raw, without pasteurizing).
Honjozo-shu: Refined sake made from rice polished to at least 70% of its original size, koji rice, brewer's alcohol (the weight of which must be less than 10% of that of polished rice) and water.

Junmai Daiginjo-shu: Refined sake made only from rice polished to at least 50% of its original size, koji rice and water.
Junmai Ginjo-shu: Refined sake made only from rice polished to at least 60% of its original size, koji rice and water.
Junmai-shu: Refined sake made only from rice polished to at least 70% of its original size, koji rice and water.
Jozo-shu (brewage): An alcoholic beverage that is made by fermenting or saccharizing and fermenting. It is drunk filtered or unfiltered. The opposite is distilled liquor.

Kanzukuri: Sake brewing that is conducted during the cold months from November to March. The cold climate is ideal for sake brewing and the best quality sake is made during this period.
Kassei-shu (active sake): Sake that is still fermenting because it contains active enzymes in live yeast. Many kassei-shu are nigori-zake (cloudy sake) that contain carbonated gas and pleasantly stimulate the drinker's mouth.
Ki-ippon: Pure rice sake made from only rice, koji rice and water and made at a single brewery. The word means "pure sake."
Kijo-shu: Sake that is made by replacing half or part of the water used in brewing with sake. It is extremely heavy and sweet and is usually served as an aperitif.
Kikichoku: A white porcelain cup for tasting sake. On the bottom inside surface are dark, cobalt blue "snake eye" circles, which are used to check the transparency and color of sake.
Kikizake: To judge sake by tasting. Judgment is based on color, aroma and taste. After tasting, the sake is spat out.
Kimoto-zukuri: A method of producing moto (yeast mash) under cool temperatures. Koji rice, steamed rice and water are put into shallow wooden tubs where brewers grind the mixture with wooden paddles. Natural lactic acid bacteria grow, and these produce lactic acid. The strong acidity prevents the growth of unwanted bacteria. This results in the growth of plenty of good-quality yeast.
Kobo (yeast): Yeast is a single-cell microorganism that converts sugar produced by koji into ethanol (alcohol) and carbonated gas. The distinct flavor and taste of sake is produced by sake yeast.
Koji: Koji is made by growing koji mold on starch substances such as rice. Koji mold produces enzymes that convert starch to sugar. Koji making is the most difficult process of sake brewing. It is very important to keep the temperature and humidity at a consistent level in order to properly grow the koji mold.
Koshu (old sake): Sake that has been aged for a year or more before bottling. Koshu is classified by brewery year (BY). "3BY" means it was brewed in Heisei 3 (1991). "Shinshu" (new sake) is the opposite of koshu.
Kurabito: The people who work in a sake brewery. Most are seasonal laborers who work away from home. Also referred to as "kurako."

Lactic Acid: Lactic acid prevents the shubo (seed mash) from being contaminated with putrefactive bacteria. Lactic acid is used in the primary stage of moromi when there is not enough yeast growth and fermentation and the shubo is prone to bacteria contamination.

Miyamizu: Well water that is drawn from specific areas in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. It is rich in calcium, potassium and phosphates but contains hardly any iron, which makes miyamizu the ideal water for sake brewing.
Moromi: A mash mixture that will be filtered or distilled. It is comprised of brewage ingredients plus seed mash, which cause saccharification and fermentation. Mixing moromi for sake is usually done in three stages. Steamed rice, koji rice and water are mixed with the moto three different times. The mash ferments while the growth of yeast is encouraged. The brewer must be careful not to contaminate the moromi with bacteria.
Mushi-mai (steamed rice): Polished rice that has been washed and steeped to absorb the right amount of water. Steaming takes place for about 30 to 60 minutes. The starch granules are ruptured into a paste, which is susceptible to the saccharification enzyme reaction from the koji mold.

Nama-chozoshu: Sake that is stored under cool temperature without prior pasteurization, but is pasteurized just before shipment. Its taste is the closest to namashu, which has the original flavor of sake.
Namashu/Namazake (raw sake): Refined sake is pasteurized twice (before storage and before bottling), but namashu is not pasteurized at all. It has a fresh, just-squeezed flavor and taste. It is best enjoyed cool.
Nigori-zake (cloudy sake): A white, cloudy sake that is made by filtering moromi with an open-weave cloth or a net. Mostly, it is unpasteurized "active" sake (kassei-shu), but some types may be junmai or honjozo sake, depending on the ingredients.
Nihon-shudo (sake meter value): A value used to measure the heaviness of sake. Generally, the more sugar in the sake, the higher a - (minus) number will be indicated, and the less sugar in the sake, the higher a + (plus) number will be indicated. This becomes a guide to judge the sweetness or dryness of sake, but since acidity is also an important factor affecting sweetness or dryness, the sake meter value is just one way to make judgments.

Onnazake: At the opposite end of the scale to otokozake is onnazake, an amakuchi (sweet) sake that uses soft water and is brewed from slowly fermented moromi. It is smooth and has less acidity.
Otokozake: A karakuchi (dry) sake made from hard water and brewed from moromi that has been strongly fermented in a short period of time. It has a rather high acidity. Onnazake would be called the sake that is "opposite" to otokozake.

Sakekasu: The sediment that remains after filtering the moromi. Sakekasu is made up of rice particles, koji rice, yeast and alcohol.
Sando (acidity): A numerical value representing the total amount of succinic acid in the sake. The higher the acidity level, the drier the sake, and lower the acidity level, the sweeter the sake.
Seimai: To polish the rice grains to remove the rice bran and rice germ of the outside covering. This part of rice includes more abundant amounts of proteins and lipids that produce undesirable flavors and taste in the finished product. The more polished the rice, the better quality the sake.
Seimai-buai: The rate that rice is polished. Generally, the smaller the number, the "cleaner" and lighter the sake. The polished ratio is calculated by dividing the weight (kg) of polished rice (hakumai) by the weight (kg) of unpolished rice (genmai).
Seishu: The general name for sake. To make sake, a mixture of rice, koji rice and water is fermented and filtered. [However, government laws require that the weight of ingredients other than rice must not exceed that of rice (including koji rice), the main ingredient.]
Senmai: To wash away, using cold water, dust and bran that remain on the rice surface after polishing. This process used to be done by hand but today most breweries use machines. This washing has a secondary polishing effect since the process causes the rice to be polished another 1 to 2%.
Shibori/Johso (squeezing/filtering): To filter the fermented moromi either by using heavy cloth sacks and a large, wooden container or by using a squeezing machine. The liquid that is produced by this process is sake and the remains are sakekasu.
Shinseki (steeping): Rice is steeped in water to absorb the necessary amount of water. Water must be absorbed right to the center of the rice kernels in order to make completely steamed rice.
Shinshu (new sake): Sake that has been produced and bottled within the year (from July 1 to June 30 of the next year). Since it is not fully aged, it has a distinctively fresh smell, called "shinshubana" (new sake aroma). Shinshu is mostly sold between the winter months of December to February. The opposite is koshu (old sake).
Shochu: A distilled liquor unique to Japan. It can be made from various ingredients such as potatoes, rice or barley. After saccharizing the ingredients with koji mold, the mixture is fermented to produce alcohol and is then distilled. Shochu is divided into two types: the ko type (ko-rui), which is produced with a continuous distiller and has an alcohol content of under 36%; and the otsu type (otsu-rui), which is produced with a single distiller and has an alcohol content of under 45%. Both types should have not more than 2% of the original ingredient
extracts.
Shubo/Moto: The seed mash that starts moromi fermentation. It is a mixture of koji rice plus sake yeast or cultured sake yeast that converts sugar into alcohol.
Shuzo-koteki-mai (sake rice): Rice that is suitable for making sake. The grains should be large, have a rich white kernel and have small amounts of protein. There are more than 20 variety of sake rice, including Yamada-nishiki, Gohyakumangoku and Omachi.

Taru (cask): Casks made of Japanese cedar are used to store sake. In the old days, they were used for transporting, but presently they are chiefly for ceremonial purposes such as for celebrations where the cask is broken open with a wooden mallet, or for restaurants and drinking establishments.
Taru-zake: Sake that is aged in a wooden cask so that the aroma from the wood is absorbed into the sake. Taru-zake is sold in its original cask or bottled.
Toji: The master brewer. Other brewery workers are called kurabito and are distinguished from toji. The toji must not only be an expert in brewing techniques, but also must be a person of character, having leadership, good judgment and management capabilities.
Tokubetsu Honjozo-shu (special honjozo sake): Refined sake made from rice polished to at least 60% of its original size, koji rice, brewer's alcohol (the weight of which must be less than 10% of that of the polished rice) and water.
Tokubetsu Junmai-shu (special pure rice sake): Refined sake made from rice polished to at least 60% of its original size, koji rice and water.
Tokutei-meisho-shu (specifically named sake): A general term for high-quality sake including honjozo, junmai and ginjo sakes. It can be divided into 8 types depending on the ingredients and brewing process.

Yamada-nishiki: One of the best kinds of sake rice. Yamada-nishiki is shiny, white, large-grained rice with a rich white kernel. It contains only a small amount of protein and absorbs water extremely well and is digested easily. It is particularly good for making koji rice as koji mold grows on it very well.
Yamahai-jikomi: A method of making moto with the kimoto-zukuri process but without the yamaoroshi process. The resulting sake has a rich, full-bodied flavor similar to that of kimoto-zukuri sake.
Yamaoroshi: To grind the mixture of steamed rice, koji rice and water with wooden paddles in a shallow tub. Since cold air is important in cooling this mash, this process is done during the night in severely cold seasons. This step is a vital part of kimoto-zukuri and produces the strong yeast that is essential for brewing sake with full body.

Zojoshu: A type of sake for which 2,400 liters of alcohol (which makes up 30% of the total weight of rice and alcohol) has been added per each ton of rice. This method was developed during World War II to cope with the shortage of rice. Also called "sanbai zojoshu" (tripling the sake) since the final amount is boosted to triple the original amount.