The debate over junmai vs alcohol-added sake has lasted over eighty years.
Which is better? Neither. But they each have their strengths.
Junmai, which means “pure rice” in Japanese, does not contain any added alcohol. Its primary ingredients include rice, rice koji, yeast, water, and lactic acid.
Many sake fans assume the pure in pure rice means it’s better, purer. This isn’t really true.
Alcohol-added sake, or aruten-shu, can be just as delicious. It has the same ingredients as junmai, but includes a small amount of neutral spirit (aka: jozo alcohol). This was once used to stretch production volumes during a time of rice scarcity. But today, it’s a stylistic choice.
The added alcohol opens up the fermented sake, creating a more fragrant aroma. And water is added later for dilution. So the finished aruten sake actually tastes lighter.
Learn more about junmai vs non junmai here.