Nihonshu
日本酒
Sake Basics
Tanım
The Japanese word for sake, literally meaning 'Japanese alcohol.' In Japan, the word 'sake' refers to all alcoholic beverages, so nihonshu specifically denotes the rice-based brewed drink known internationally as sake.
Derinlemesine
Nihonshu is brewed from rice, water, koji mold, and yeast through a unique parallel fermentation process. Unlike beer where starch conversion and fermentation are sequential, sake achieves both simultaneously, enabling alcohol levels of 15-20% without distillation. The term was officially adopted in 2015 as a geographical indication (GI) requiring production within Japan.