Seishu
清酒
Sake Basics
Definition
The legal and technical term for refined sake, meaning 'clear alcohol.' Under Japanese liquor tax law, seishu must be filtered after fermentation to remove solids, distinguishing it from unfiltered doburoku.
In Depth
The Japanese Liquor Tax Law defines seishu as a beverage made by fermenting rice with koji and water, then filtering the result. This legal definition is important because it determines taxation and labeling requirements. Even nigorizake (cloudy sake) qualifies as seishu because it passes through a coarse filter, unlike doburoku which is entirely unfiltered and technically illegal to produce without a license.