I lived in Japan for nearly two years between 2004 – 2005 teaching English to kids as young as two and adults as old as 82. It was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had as a traveler and explorer of curious things.

My fondest memories often involved gathering after work at a local izakaya (Japanese restaurant and bar), ordering nomihodai (set-price all you can drink), devouring delicious plates of food, and letting my hair down from the more conservative office environment.

I got to learn a lot about drinking Japanese style; from the passion of creating and crafting good booze through to the proper manner of drinking. I lost the language as time passed, but can still manage to politely order beers and belt out some questionable karaoke (Motorhead’s Ace of Spades FTW!).

One of the skills I picked up was drinking sake, or nihonshu (in Japan, sake is more of an umbrella Japanese term for all alcohol).

The following article will help you learn the basics of drinking this underrated and interesting Japanese spirit, from defining sake to styles of drinking and different types, and what you need to look for when purchasing export bottles. You’ll be a qualified sake connoisseur in no time!

What is sake?

Sake is fermented rice wine that has been “polished” to remove the bran and proteins, fats, and minerals that cause unlikeable flavors. It’s not distilled, like close cousin shochu, but brewed.

Sake rice (sakamai) is a type of japonica rice especially suited to the process, because of its low protein content and its large center section (shimpaku). Common forms of rice wine globally are produced with a brewing process similar to beer, where starch is converted into sugars which then ferment into alcohol.

Sake is made essentially from water, koji rice, and yeast. Koji rice is cooked rice that has been inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae, a mold that’s widespread in Japan.