Junmai

« Junmai » literally means « pure rice » in Japanese. It’s an important term in the sake world. This word (spelt 純米, watch out for the bottles!) refers to sake with no added alcohol, in other words, sake that contains only the bare essentials: yeast, koji, rice and water.

But be careful! Unlike the terms ‘ginjo’ or ‘daiginjo’, which refer to sakés with a fruity or floral profile, ‘junmai’ says nothing about the taste of a cuvée. At least in theory. In reality, sakés that are only ‘junmai’ often taste deeply umami, with woody and cereal notes…

Attention again! These sakes are often considered more "noble" than sakes with added alcohol known as "honjozo." In our humble opinion, that's a shame. Adding alcohol (generally 95% distilled alcohol from sugar cane, perfectly neutral) to a sake allows its aromas to unfold. Junmai or honjozo, a sake can therefore be excellent!