The saké Junmai, also known as "pure rice", is made exclusively from rice, kōji and water. No distilled alcohol is added. Junmai is distinguished by an intense umami flavour, derived directly from the rice. The rice, at the heart of this process, has a more pronounced flavour thanks to a more advanced polishing. To obtain the Junmai designation, the rice must be polished so as to remove at least 40% of each grain, meaning that only 60% of the original rice grain remains. Developed later in history, after a period when distilled alcohols were frequently mixed with saké, Junmai embodies a return to authentic and traditional production.
