The main types of sake are grouped by how far the rice is polished and whether alcohol is added: junmai, honjozo, ginjo and daiginjo, with cloudy nigori as a style of its own. Chill the most polished bottles; warm junmai or honjozo.
Sake sits comfortably next to the staples covered in our japanese cooking basics guide, because the bottle you pour at the table and the bottle you splash into a pan are often the same one. This guide explains what separates each style, how to serve it, and how to choose a bottle for cooking.
From rice to grade: what shapes each style
Sake is made from four primary ingredients: rice, water, yeast and koji, according to The Sushi Man’s sake guide. Every named type is a variation on those four, so the differences come from decisions made along the way rather than from a different recipe.
Two decisions do most of the sorting. The first is how much of each rice grain is milled away before brewing. The second is whether the brewer adds neutral alcohol. Difford’s Guide notes that sake without the junmai term on the label has had some neutral alcohol added, which is why that one word on a label tells you a great deal.
A third factor sits outside the grade system. The Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association explains that a coarse mesh for pressing produces white, cloudy sake, and that is the whole story behind nigori. It is a pressing style that can sit alongside the grades rather than replacing them.
How rice polishing changes sake
Seimaibuai is the percentage of each rice grain left after polishing, and sake is graded by it, as Difford’s Guide explains. A smaller seimaibuai figure therefore means more of the grain has been milled away.
The effect shows up in the glass. The more the rice is milled, the cleaner, lighter, more delicate and more fragrant the sake tends to be. That does not make a lower number better in any absolute sense. It makes the sake more refined and aromatic, which suits some drinkers and some meals and not others.
Sake grades at a glance
The table below turns the polishing percentages into a quick choosing tool. Read the middle column as the share of the grain that remains, so the figures fall as the sake becomes more refined.
| Grade | Rice remaining after polishing | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| Futsushu | +70% (less than 30% removed) | The everyday baseline; the least polished band in this comparison. |
| Junmai | 70% or less | Defined by brewing with no added alcohol; a flexible bottle that also warms well. |
| Honjozo | 70% to 61% (30% to 40% removed) | Includes distilled alcohol; a good candidate for warming. |
| Ginjo | 60% to 51% (40%+ removed) | A step up in fragrance and lightness when you want something more refined. |
| Daiginjo | 50% or less (50%+ removed) | The most polished grade here; keep it for chilled drinking. |
The rice-remaining figures follow Difford’s Guide, except the junmai ratio, which comes from The Sushi Man’s sake guide.
The main types of sake
Junmai
Junmai means the sake was brewed using only rice, water and koji, with no alcohol added, according to Difford’s Guide. Because nothing is added, the word on the label is the easiest purity signal to read. It suits readers who want a straightforward style that works both in a cup and in a pan.
Honjozo
Honjozo is polished to 70% or less but has distilled alcohol added, per The Sushi Man. Choose it when you want a style that is a little lighter in character than many junmai bottles and is also recommended for warming. The only label difference to watch for is the missing junmai word.
Ginjo and daiginjo
Ginjo is the refined tier. Sake Inn describes fermentation at lower temperatures that takes longer, and says distilled alcohol equivalent to up to 10% of the weight of the polished rice may be added. The Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association adds that ginjo usually has a fruity aroma.
Daiginjo is the most heavily polished grade in the table above. Sake Inn recommends it best served chilled, which fits the point of the style: its fragrance is the reason to buy it, and heat would work against that aim.
Nigori
Nigori is the cloudy, white style produced by pressing through a coarse mesh. It is defined by its texture and appearance rather than by a polishing percentage. Treat it as a separate choice from the grades above and check the bottle for its grade as well.
Serving sake hot or cold
Serve sake chilled when you want it light and fresh, and warm when you want it fuller and sweeter. The Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association says chilled sake, served at 8~10°C, tastes light and fresh because the tongue picks up less sweetness and umami. Warm sake, served at 40~50°C, tastes full and sweet because the tongue detects sweetness and umami better.
Grades that suit warming
Junmai and honjozo are typically good choices for hot sake, according to The Sushi Man. SG Proof says junmai is often served warm, at temperatures between 45-55 degrees Celsius. Difford’s Guide describes warmed sake (35 to 55°C) as normally drunk during the winter with food, so a warmed bottle is a natural companion to a hot, brothy meal.
Grades that suit chilling
Daiginjo is best served chilled, and so is namazake, which Difford’s Guide places at 8 to 15°C. If you are unsure about a premium bottle, chill it first. You can always let it come up a little in the cup, but you cannot cool something you have already warmed.
The two temperature ranges overlap in places, so treat the figures as a guide to the character you are after rather than a strict rule. The sake’s grade tells you which direction to start in, and your own taste decides the rest.
Cooking sake versus drinking sake
For a simmered dish or a ramen broth, a plain junmai or honjozo is the sensible bottle to keep in the kitchen. Both are the grades recommended for warming, so a bottle bought for the pan can also be poured into a cup at the table. Check the label for the junmai word if you want to know that nothing but rice, water and koji went into it.
Daiginjo and ginjo are better kept for the glass. Their appeal is the lighter, more fragrant profile that heavy polishing delivers, and that is a quality you taste most clearly in a chilled cup rather than in a sauce with soy, mirin or stock around it. Spending extra on them for a braise buys a refinement the dish will mostly hide.
Once the bottle is open, there are good ways to use it beyond the pan. A chilled cup suits the cold noodles in a zaru soba recipe, while a warmed junmai suits the broth in an easy udon soup recipe. Using the same bottle for both pours and pans keeps the shelf simple.
Frequently asked questions
What alcohol percentage does sake have?
Sake generally ranges from 12-20% ABV, according to The Sushi Man.
Does junmai mean the sake has no alcohol?
No. Junmai means no alcohol was added during brewing, but the finished sake still contains alcohol, and SG Proof puts junmai at around 15-16%.
Which sake is a good place to start for beginners?
A junmai or honjozo is a practical first bottle, because both suit warm and cool serving and you can learn how temperature changes the taste. Try a small amount chilled first, then warm the rest, and compare which version you prefer.
Is cloudy nigori a different grade?
No, nigori describes the pressing method. A coarse mesh produces the white, cloudy appearance, according to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.
