Sake Journal
Basics of Sake Grades
Sake has a grade system, and once you understand it, a lot of things about the bottle in your hand start to make sense. At the highest level, you can think of sake as having two branches: and , or regular sake versus special designation sake. Everything else flows from that single distinction.
The Two Branches of Sake
Futsushu
This is your regular, table sake. No fancy grade designations.
Tokutei Meishoshu
This is premium sake. It contains 8 legally defined designations.
By the end of this post, you’ll have a reliable framework for understanding how a sake was made and what to expect in your ochoko.
Regular Sake
Futsushu
is the everyday drinking sake of Japan. Think of it like the Lone Star beer of the sake world. It's not trying to win any awards or impress anybody, it's just honest, unpretentious, and gets the job done.
The majority of all sake made in Japan is futsushu, but we've noticed it's surprisingly hard to find in the States. It has no minimum rice milling requirements; can have alcohol, sugars, and organic acids added, and it doesn't carry any of the fancy grade designations you'll find on premium bottles. That doesn't make it bad though! There's a lot to say for affordable, table sake!
Special Designation Sake
Tokutei Meishoshu
, which translates roughly to "special designation sake," is the premium when it comes to sake. There are eight grades in this group, and they're defined by two things: (1) how much of the rice kernel was milled away before brewing, and (2) whether or not distilled alcohol was added. That's right! Not taste test, but two verifiable facts about how the sake was made.
The grades range from the earnest entry-level designations all the way up to the most refined and painstakingly crafted sake in the world. We'll walk through all eight on the next page, but before we get there, it's worth understanding the two things that define every single one of them: the milling of the rice, and what goes into the tank.
Required For Premium Sake
Rice Milling & Seimaibuai
Every grain of rice has a starchy heart at its center called the , and a outer layer loaded with fats and proteins that can muddy up the flavor of sake. Milling the rice removes that outer layer, leaving behind a purer, cleaner ingredient for brewing. The more you mill, the lighter and more refined the finished sake tends to be.
The milling rate is called the , and it measures the percentage of the rice kernel that remains after milling. A lower seimaibuai = more refined sake.
Sake Ingredients
What Goes Into the Tank
At its most fundamental, sake is made from four things: rice, water, (rice inoculated with a mold that converts starch into fermentable sugar), and yeast. Premium sake lives and dies by the quality of each one. But there is one more variable that separates the grades from each other, and that is whether or not a small amount of distilled alcohol is added before the sake is pressed.
- = contains a legally-limited amount of distilled alcohol, the limit is 10% of the weight of the milled dried rice
- = no distilled alcohol is added whatsoever
Tokutei Meishoshu
Aruten
is one of those sake terms you will almost never see on a bottle, but it describes about half of the special designation sakes out there. It simply means that a small, legally-limited amount of distilled alcohol was added to the sake before pressing. This technique can brighten aromatics, extend shelf life, and produce a cleaner, more expressive sake.
Here are the aruten sakes, notice aruten is never in the name:
本醸造
At least 70% seimaibuai (30% of rice milled away). Limited alcohol added.
特別本醸造
Honjozo with a "special" attribute like special rice or higher mill rate, etc.
吟醸
At least 60% seimaibuai (40% of rice milled away). Limited alcohol added.
大吟醸
At least 50% seimaibuai (50% of rice milled away). Limited alcohol added.
Tokutei Meishoshu
Junmai
means pure rice, and that is exactly what it is, sake made from nothing but rice, koji, water, and yeast. No distilled alcohol was added before pressing. Junmai sakes tend to carry a bit more richness and umami than their aruten counterparts, which makes them particularly food friendly. Four of the eight special grades carry the junmai name.
Here are the junmai sakes, notice junmai is always in the name:
純米酒
No distilled alcohol addition. No minimum milling requirement.
特別純米酒
Junmai with a "special" attribute like special rice or higher mill rate, etc.
純米吟醸
At least 60% seimaibuai (40% of rice milled away). No added alcohol.
純米大吟醸
At least 50% seimaibuai (50% of rice milled away). No added alcohol.
What's Next
Grade Is Just the Beginning
Sake Education
Basics of Sake Styles
Nigori, nama, koshu, genshu. The styles that show up on bottles and what they are telling you.
About This Post
Date Published: Summer 2026
Category: Sake Education
External Resources We Like: John Gauntner's Certified Sake Professional coursework helped us better understand sake grades. Learn more at John Gauntner's Sake World.
