A sake grade is useful information, but it cannot tell you whether tonight’s dinner needs a delicate floral drink or a savory, rounded one. Sake grades describe controlled production choices. Personal enjoyment asks another question. Confusing the two turns a helpful label into an unnecessarily expensive guessing game.
The six principal premium grades become easier to learn when organized around two ideas: how much rice remains after polishing, and whether added distilled alcohol is prohibited. Start there, then connect the framework to typical styles without pretending that every bottle in a grade tastes identical.
Sake grades begin with basic and premium
Futsū-shu is the basic or ordinary sake category. Premium sake meets requirements associated with specific designations. This is a distinction in regulated production and labeling, rather than a panel awarding a universal enjoyment score to every bottle.
The ordinary category is not one fixed flavor. Nor does premium mean that every example is aromatic, sweet, expensive or appropriate for every meal. A basic sake can be enjoyable and useful; a premium sake can be a poor match for a particular person’s taste. Categories organize information, while preference remains individual. Ask about the actual bottle’s aroma and palate before choosing it for dinner.
For WSET Level 1, learn the prescribed six premium names: junmai, honjōzō, ginjō, junmai ginjō, daiginjō and junmai daiginjō. Additional designations exist in the wider market. They do not replace these six or change the approved study scope.
Polishing ratio measures what remains
The rice-polishing ratio expresses the remaining polished rice weight as a percentage of its original brown-rice weight. A 70% ratio leaves 70% and removes 30%. A 60% ratio leaves 60% and removes 40%. A 50% ratio leaves half.
Lower numbers therefore indicate more polishing. The number is neither alcohol strength nor the percentage of rice converted into kōji. It also does not describe the fraction of rice grains discarded intact. It is a mass comparison between the prepared rice and its starting material.
Polishing removes outer material relatively rich in protein and fat, changing the proportions available to brewing. More polishing often supports a delicate style, especially alongside suitable fermentation. That is a tendency, not a formula in which the percentage predicts one specific aroma or certifies quality.
The mandatory six-grade table
The following is the beginner-level production summary used for this course. It captures the relevant polishing ceilings and alcohol-addition distinction. It is not an exhaustive statement of all Japanese legal conditions for special designations. The official specification provides the examination scope.
| Grade | Rice polishing ratio | Added distilled alcohol |
|---|---|---|
| Junmai | 100% or less; typically 70% or less | Not permitted |
| Honjōzō | 70% or less | Permitted |
| Ginjō | 60% or less | Permitted |
| Junmai ginjō | 60% or less | Not permitted |
| Daiginjō | 50% or less | Permitted |
| Junmai daiginjō | 50% or less | Not permitted |
Read or less literally. A 55% ratio falls within a 60% ceiling; 65% does not. Exactly 60% qualifies on that numerical point. Other conditions must still be met before claiming the full designation. One qualifying number does not automatically assign a grade.
Junmai supplies the ingredient distinction
Junmai means pure rice in the labeling sense relevant here: no high-strength distilled alcohol is added. Water, rice, kōji and yeast remain essential to brewing. The word does not mean the liquid contains only intact rice, nor that it contains no alcohol. Fermentation itself produces the alcohol.
Junmai alone has no fixed compulsory 70% polishing ceiling. The specification describes 100% or less and notes that rice is typically polished to 70% or less. This wording preserves an important distinction: a common practice is not the same as a mandatory limit.
When junmai appears with ginjō or daiginjō, it adds the no-added-alcohol requirement to that other classification. Junmai ginjō therefore has the 60% ceiling, and junmai daiginjō has the 50% ceiling. Combining the terms combines information; it does not erase the polishing rule.
Honjōzō and the 70% ceiling
Honjōzō belongs among the premium grades and has a rice-polishing ratio of 70% or less. Added distilled alcohol is permitted under the relevant controlled conditions. It is not a basic sake category simply because its production can include that addition.
Typical examples may show relatively restrained aroma, lightness and a clean finish. Those are useful expectations rather than legal sensory measurements applied identically to every bottle. Producer choices can create variation, and service temperature can alter how a particular example presents.
Do not interpret added alcohol as proof of stronger bottled alcohol content. Water adjustment and the overall production design matter. Nor does the addition imply that the sake was distilled. The base remains a fermented rice beverage, with a permitted ingredient choice affecting its final expression.
Ginjō and junmai ginjō
Both ginjō categories use rice polished to 60% or less. They are commonly associated with careful, relatively cool fermentation and fruity or floral aromas. A pear, melon, banana or apple comparison describes a possible sensory impression, not a compulsory list of ingredients or required aromas.
Junmai ginjō excludes added distilled alcohol. Ginjō without junmai allows that addition in the introductory classification framework. The shared ginjō word connects production style and polishing, while junmai specifies the ingredient restriction. Remembering both parts is more reliable than learning two disconnected definitions.
The NRIB classification explanation supplies wider production context. Its fuller table includes additional conditions and designations. Keep the introductory six-grade map clear while recognizing that a beginner table is a simplification of a larger regulatory system.
Daiginjō and junmai daiginjō
The two daiginjō categories use rice polished to 50% or less. Junmai daiginjō prohibits added distilled alcohol; the non-junmai branch permits it under relevant conditions. This repeats the same structure at a lower remaining-rice ceiling, rather than introducing a completely unrelated classification.
Delicate, fragrant and refined are common descriptions, but they should not become guarantees that every example is light in every dimension. Aroma intensity, sweetness, body and finish can vary. A pronounced aroma and a light palate can coexist, just as a reserved aroma and a fuller palate can coexist elsewhere.
More extensive polishing can increase production costs and require demanding handling. It does not create a legal instruction that every consumer must prefer daiginjō to honjōzō. If a savory meal and a rounded sake work beautifully together, the lower-priced grade has not somehow failed at being dinner.
Separate requirements from tendencies
Requirements answer questions such as whether a polishing ratio is within a stated limit and whether an addition is prohibited. Tendencies answer questions such as whether a style often smells floral or feels rounded. One can be checked against a production record; the other describes a pattern with exceptions.
Try marking study notes with two words: rule and typical. Rule: junmai daiginjō prohibits added distilled alcohol. Typical: ginjō styles often show fruity or floral character. That small habit stops a memorable generalization from hardening into an inaccurate universal claim.
It also improves tasting descriptions. A floral aroma can suggest a ginjō style, but it cannot prove the exact polishing ratio. A bottle label or producer specification can supply that evidence. Description and classification support one another while answering different questions.
Work through three classification puzzles
First, a sake uses rice at 65% and no added distilled alcohol. Does the polishing number exclude junmai? No. Junmai has no fixed 70% ceiling, and 65% is also within typical practice. However, these two facts alone do not constitute every legal condition for the designation.
Second, rice is polished to 58% and added alcohol is permitted. The number meets the ginjō polishing ceiling but not the daiginjō ceiling. The correct study response identifies the numerical eligibility without claiming that polishing alone proves the full grade.
Third, a sake is junmai daiginjō at 45%. Forty-five percent remains, and 55% was removed. Added distilled alcohol is prohibited. Nothing in those statements tells you its exact sweetness, whether it is nama, or whether you should serve it in a wooden box rather than a glass.
Grade and specialty style can overlap
Nigori, sparkling, nama and koshu describe other production or style characteristics. Nigori concerns retained rice material and cloudiness; sparkling concerns bubbles; nama omits pasteurisation; koshu involves maturation. These terms can occur alongside premium grade information.
Imagine a junmai ginjō nama. Junmai tells you about the alcohol-addition restriction; ginjō supplies the relevant polishing and production category; nama tells you it is unpasteurised. The label is providing several layers, not asking you to choose only one term as valid.
One-page revision summary
Futsū-shu is basic sake; premium designations carry controlled requirements. Learn the six grades as two connected branches. Junmai prohibits added distilled alcohol; adding ginjō or daiginjō brings a 60% or 50% polishing ceiling. Honjōzō uses 70% or less. Plain junmai has no compulsory 70% ceiling, despite typical practice. Percentages measure rice remaining. Requirements classify production; typical aromas guide expectations; personal preference decides enjoyment.
Continue your sake studies
Knowledge check: 12 original practice questions
Independent TFE questions, not official WSET examination items. Choose one answer per question; explanations follow separately.
1. What does futsū-shu identify?
- Basic or ordinary sake
- Only unpasteurised sake
- A compulsory 50% premium grade
- A serving vessel
2. Which junmai statement is accurate?
- No alcohol exists in the bottle
- Added distilled alcohol is prohibited
- Water is prohibited
- All rice must be 50%
3. Which polishing ceiling applies to honjōzō?
- 100% exactly
- 80% or less
- 70% or less
- 40% exactly
4. Which pair shares a 60% ceiling?
- Junmai and honjōzō
- Honjōzō and daiginjō
- Futsū-shu and nama
- Ginjō and junmai ginjō
5. Which pair shares a 50% ceiling?
- Daiginjō and junmai daiginjō
- Junmai and honjōzō
- Nama and koshu
- Nigori and futsū-shu
6. What does a ratio of 45% mean?
- 45% removed
- 45% remains
- 45% alcohol
- 45% yeast
7. Which rule applies to plain junmai?
- Exactly 70% is mandatory
- Exactly 60% is mandatory
- No fixed compulsory 70% ceiling
- Added alcohol is mandatory
8. Which statement is a tendency rather than the numerical rule?
- Daiginjō ceiling is 50%
- Honjōzō ceiling is 70%
- Junmai prohibits added alcohol
- Ginjō often shows fruity or floral aroma
9. Does a 58% ratio alone prove a complete ginjō designation?
- No, other controlled conditions also matter
- Yes, no other information is needed
- Yes, even if it is beer
- No, because 58 exceeds 60
10. How should personal preference affect grade selection?
- It must be ignored
- It remains relevant; premium does not guarantee everyone’s favorite
- Only the lowest ratio matters
- It determines the legal polishing limit
11. What does nama add to junmai ginjō nama?
- A higher polishing ceiling
- Mandatory distillation
- The information that it is unpasteurised
- A promise of sweetness
12. Which is the best way to use the six-grade table?
- As a complete legal code
- As a universal quality ranking
- As a list of compulsory tasting aromas
- As an introductory map of polishing and alcohol-addition distinctions
Answers and explanations
1. A — Basic or ordinary sake. Futsū-shu is the basic category, distinct from the principal premium designations. Mapping: LO2.
2. B — Added distilled alcohol is prohibited. Fermentation produces alcohol, but the junmai categories prohibit its distilled addition. Mapping: LO2.
3. C — 70% or less. The Level 1 table sets honjōzō at a remaining-rice ratio of 70% or less. Mapping: LO2.
4. D — Ginjō and junmai ginjō. Both ginjō categories share the same polishing ceiling while differing on added alcohol. Mapping: LO2.
5. A — Daiginjō and junmai daiginjō. Both daiginjō categories use rice polished to 50% or less. Mapping: LO2.
6. B — 45% remains. The ratio measures remaining polished rice weight against the starting brown-rice weight. Mapping: LO2.
7. C — No fixed compulsory 70% ceiling. The specification notes typical polishing of 70% or less without imposing that as the junmai limit. Mapping: LO2.
8. D — Ginjō often shows fruity or floral aroma. Aroma descriptions are common patterns, not an identical profile guaranteed for every bottle. Mapping: LO2.
9. A — No, other controlled conditions also matter. The figure meets the polishing ceiling, but classification includes more than that number. Mapping: LO2.
10. B — It remains relevant; premium does not guarantee everyone’s favorite. Classification informs expectations, while enjoyment and suitability depend on the drinker and occasion. Mapping: LO2.
11. C — The information that it is unpasteurised. Nama supplies treatment information that can coexist with premium grade terms. Mapping: LO2.
12. D — As an introductory map of polishing and alcohol-addition distinctions. The table summarizes the relevant Level 1 requirements without replacing all legal conditions. Mapping: LO2.
