“Junmai” literally means “made only with rice”. In the case of “Junmai Syu”, the ingredient name on the label says “rice, rice molt”.
On the other hand, if it is not “Junmai Syu”, it says “rice, rice molt, brewed alcohol”. In other words, alcohol is added.
Disadvantages of using “Brewed alcohol”
So, what is the biggest disadvantage of not being “junmai sake”? It has a bad image. In reality, there are many people who think, “I can’t allow poor quality alcohol to be added to Junmai Syu” or “I don’t want to dilute it with alcohol to increase the amount of sake”.
However, the quality of “brewed alcohol” is not bad at all. First of all, brewed alcohol is a high-purity alcohol made by fermentation, and synthetic alcohol is not allowed. It does not contain any ingredients that are bad for the body.
And breweries are making efforts to develop high-quality “brewed alcohol” and trying to bring out the benefits of adding alcohol. In addition, the amount of alcohol added is only a few percent of the amount of sake. Therefore, it cannot be said that sake is diluted with alcohol to increase the amount.
Advantages of using “Brewed alcohol”
Then, on the contrary, what is the merit of adding “brewed alcohol”? These include the following points:
- Intensifies the aroma
The yeast that gives off the aroma of sake is more soluble in alcohol than in water. Therefore, the addition of alcohol gives it a more aromatic effect. The gorgeous fruit-like aroma called “ginjo ka” is amplified by the addition of brewed alcohol. - Clear taste
The brewed alcohol itself is not sweet and very dry, so adding it to the sake will increase its dryness. If it is dried, the mouthfeel will be lighter and the sake will have a clear taste. - Increase in unique sake
Depending on how much brewed alcohol is added, the taste and aroma of the sake will change greatly. As a result, more unique sake can be produced.
Anyway, we think that it is better to taste sake without preconceived notions, rather than “Junmai or not?”. Please, good choice.
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