How various sake is classified
Due to the implementation of the Liquor Tax Law revised in April 1, 1992, the long-standing Japanese sake “Classification System” was abolished.
The Sake Classification System refers to the classification of sake according to a set of regulations applying different tax rates, with the classification (as Super-high Grade, First Grade, and Second Grade) certified based on the inspection results by the Regional Liquor Tax Council per National Tax Agency. The regulations per classification is broken down to Super-high Grade: “Excellent quality,” First Grade: “Good Quality,” and Second Grade: “Special Grade, not equivalent to First Grade.”
However, there is a major defect in the Classification System. This is because Japanese sake not submitted to the National Tax Agency for inspection is all automatically classified as Second Grade. This Classification System generated a contradiction where the sake quality of Second Grade sake produced by small and medium-sized regional sake breweries are competitive with Super-high Grade and First Grade sake by major sake breweries when actually sampled. The Super-high Grade sake was abolished early as a special measure during a transitional period on April 1, 1989.
Since the regional sake boom around 1975, consumers became familiar with Ginjo, Junmai, and special sake brands. However, independent rules partially exist within the sake industry over the differences between each sake (such as labels indicating the terminology used for production method, quality, and food ingredients, etc.), however, there are no organized regulations to govern these differences. Therefore, according to the revised Liquor Tax Law, the notification “Standards for Manufacturing Methods and Quality Indication for Sake” was issued by the National Tax Agency as a guideline for quality pertaining to the Classification System on April 1, 1990.
This set of standards classifies Japanese sake into “specific class name of sake” and sake other than the specific class name of sake (ordinary sake) based on differences in food ingredients and production methods. All sake sold commercially is classified into one of these two categories.
The specific class name of sake refers to Ginjo, Junmai, and Honjozo, further classified into eight types according to differences in production method, quality, etc.: Ginjo, Daiginjo, Junmai, Junmai-Ginjo, Junmai-Daiginjo, Tokubetsu-Junmai, Honjozo, and Tokubetsu-Honjozo. Based on objective standards such as food ingredients and production methods, consumers can now determine differences in sake quality and characteristics.
The points of production method and quality regulating the specific class name of sake are ① Rice-polishing Ratio, ② The use of distilled alcohol, and ③ whether the Ginjo method was used or not during the production process.
The Sake Classification System refers to the classification of sake according to a set of regulations applying different tax rates, with the classification (as Super-high Grade, First Grade, and Second Grade) certified based on the inspection results by the Regional Liquor Tax Council per National Tax Agency. The regulations per classification is broken down to Super-high Grade: “Excellent quality,” First Grade: “Good Quality,” and Second Grade: “Special Grade, not equivalent to First Grade.”
However, there is a major defect in the Classification System. This is because Japanese sake not submitted to the National Tax Agency for inspection is all automatically classified as Second Grade. This Classification System generated a contradiction where the sake quality of Second Grade sake produced by small and medium-sized regional sake breweries are competitive with Super-high Grade and First Grade sake by major sake breweries when actually sampled. The Super-high Grade sake was abolished early as a special measure during a transitional period on April 1, 1989.
Since the regional sake boom around 1975, consumers became familiar with Ginjo, Junmai, and special sake brands. However, independent rules partially exist within the sake industry over the differences between each sake (such as labels indicating the terminology used for production method, quality, and food ingredients, etc.), however, there are no organized regulations to govern these differences. Therefore, according to the revised Liquor Tax Law, the notification “Standards for Manufacturing Methods and Quality Indication for Sake” was issued by the National Tax Agency as a guideline for quality pertaining to the Classification System on April 1, 1990.
This set of standards classifies Japanese sake into “specific class name of sake” and sake other than the specific class name of sake (ordinary sake) based on differences in food ingredients and production methods. All sake sold commercially is classified into one of these two categories.
The specific class name of sake refers to Ginjo, Junmai, and Honjozo, further classified into eight types according to differences in production method, quality, etc.: Ginjo, Daiginjo, Junmai, Junmai-Ginjo, Junmai-Daiginjo, Tokubetsu-Junmai, Honjozo, and Tokubetsu-Honjozo. Based on objective standards such as food ingredients and production methods, consumers can now determine differences in sake quality and characteristics.
The points of production method and quality regulating the specific class name of sake are ① Rice-polishing Ratio, ② The use of distilled alcohol, and ③ whether the Ginjo method was used or not during the production process.
日本酒の種類にはどのようなものがあるか？
改正酒税法の施行によって、長く続いた日本酒の「級別制度」が平成4年4月1日からの廃止された。
級別制度とは、酒を一定の規格によって区分してそれぞれ異なる税率を適用するもの（級別差等課税方式）で、国税局ごとに行なわれる地方酒類審議会での官能審査の結果に基づいて等級（特級、一級、二級）が認定されていた。各等級の規格は、特級は「品質が優良であるもの」、一級は「品質が佳良であるもの」、二級は「特級、一級に該当しないもの」である。
しかし、この級別制度には大きな欠陥があった。というのも、国税局の審査に出品しない日本酒はすべて自動的に二級酒に分類されてしまっていたからだ。そのため、たとえば地方の中小蔵の二級酒の酒質が、実際に飲んでみると大手の特級酒や一級酒に匹敵する、といった矛盾を生むことになったのである。ちなみに、特級については移行措置としてひと足早く、 平成元年4月1日から廃止されている。
ところで、昭和50年前後の地酒ブーム以降、吟醸酒とか純米酒といった特別な名称は広く消費者に知られるところとなっていた。しかし、それらの日本酒のそれぞれの中身の違い（製法や品質を示す用語、原材料およびその表示など）については、一部に酒造業界内の自主的ルールがあるだけで、法的な基準は未整備のままだった。そこで、この酒税法の改正に伴い、級別制度に代わる品質ガイドとして「清酒の製法品質表示基準」が国税庁から告示され、平成2年4月1日から施行された。
この基準は、原料や製造方法などの違いによって、日本酒を「特定名称酒」と特定名称酒以外の日本酒（普通酒）とに分けたもので、市販されている日本酒はすべて、特定名称酒か普通酒のいずれかに属することになる。 特定名称酒とは吟醸酒、純米酒、本醸造酒のことで、これらはさらに製造方法や品質などの違いによって、吟醸酒、大吟醸酒、純米酒、純米吟醸酒、純米大吟醸酒、特別純米酒、本醸造酒、特別本醸造酒の8種類に分類されている。これによって消費者は、原料や製造方法といった客観的基準をもとにして、日本酒の品質の違いや特徴を判断することができるようになったわけである。
なお、各特定名称酒を規定する製造方法、品質のポイントは、①精米歩合、②醸造アルコールの使用の有無、③吟醸造りか否かの三点である。