Sake 101 with Nomu

What makes a sake?

The method

At its most basic, sake is a combination of rice and water fermented with koji, a mould also used to make soy sauce, mirin and tempeh. Given koji’s delicate nature, cleanliness is also key to the process.

Kohanda quotes a famous saying about sake-making, “start with wash, end with wash”, referring to the meticulous washing of rice and equipment. While brewing thrives on the “good” bacteria of koji, any negative bacteria can disrupt the whole fermentation process.

The rice

Sake rice is distinct from the rice you’d find in someone’s pantry. Most brewers use breeds specifically developed for brewing to enhance flavour and withstand polishing – an essential part of the process. Polishing the rice grains removes the outer husk and exposes the starch for a sweeter, smoother sip. Naturally, the amount of polish is key to a sake’s taste, price and prestige. The more rice that’s polished away, the more light, delicate and expensive a sake will be.

The water

Like wine, sakes range from dry and robust to fruity and sweet – and where they land on the spectrum is largely due to the water they’re brewed with. Hard water tends to produce a drier product while soft water like you’d find in Shizuoka means sweeter sake. Thanks to a natural slow-filtration system* that flows through the region’s four major rivers, its pristine water is perfect for brewing.

*We’re talking up to 200 years from start to finish.

Shifting perceptions

While beer, wine and spirits are a fundamental part of Australian drinking culture, sake has yet to reach the same level of recognition. But it’s on its way.

Between increasing Australian tourism to Japan and the work of dedicated sake bars and importers putting the rice-based beverage on the map, awareness and demand are growing by the minute – and as they grow, Australians’ perceptions of sake are shifting.

“Lots of people have tried sake in a takeaway sushi restaurant and hated it,” says Kohanda. And he gets it. When he first tried his grandfather’s sake as a kid, he thought it was, put bluntly, “disgusting”. For those with poor early experiences, the stereotypes that sake is strong and harsh or worse, that it needs to be warmed to be enjoyed, are tough to shake.

The solution? Drink more sake. Like wine, sake is a product of its environment with a range of flavours shaped by terroir, rice type, water quality, and brewing techniques. With so many variables, the options are virtually endless. So if you don’t love the first style you try, there’s sure to be another you do.