Sake polishing ratio explained

Look at almost any premium sake label and you'll find a percentage, often 70%, 60%, or 50%. That's the polishing ratio, and it's one of the most useful numbers in sake. It tells you how much of each rice grain is left after milling, and it says a lot about how the sake will taste.

What the number means

The polishing ratio is called seimaibuai in Japanese. It's the percentage of the original grain that remains after the rice is milled.

• 100% is unpolished brown rice.
• 70% means 30% of each grain was milled away.
• 60% means 40% was milled away.
• 50% means half the grain is gone.

So the smaller the number, the more the rice was polished. It's an easy number to read backward, so it helps to think of it as "how much is left," not "how much was removed."

Why brewers polish rice

A rice grain isn't the same all the way through. The outer layers hold more protein, fat, and minerals. The center holds mostly starch. In sake rice, that starchy center is especially large and soft, and it has a name: shinpaku, the "white heart."

Starch is what koji turns into sugar and yeast turns into alcohol, so it's what brewers want. The outer layers can add rougher, earthier, sometimes bitter flavors. Polishing them away lets the brewery make a cleaner, smoother sake with more room for delicate aromas.

How the polishing ratio sets the grade

Japan's premium sake grades use the polishing ratio as a rule:

Grade	Rice polished to
Honjozo	70% or less
Ginjo and Junmai Ginjo	60% or less
Daiginjo and Junmai Daiginjo	50% or less
Junmai	No minimum, but the ratio is on the label

That's why "60%" and "Ginjo" so often appear together. Both WESAKE sakes are Junmai Ginjo polished to 60%. See the types of sake for the full grade chart.

What polishing does to flavor

As a general guide:

• Less polished (70% and up): fuller body, more rice and grain character, more umami. Often great both chilled and warm.
• Moderately polished (around 60%): cleaner and smoother, with fruity and floral aromas starting to show. A balance of aroma and body.
• Highly polished (50% and below): light, delicate, and perfumed, with notes like melon, pear, and white flowers.

The brewer's choices matter just as much: the rice variety, the water, the koji, the yeast, and how cold and slow the fermentation runs. Polishing sets the stage, but it doesn't write the whole script.

Does more polishing mean better sake?

Not necessarily. More polishing means a different style, and it costs more, since the brewery uses more rice for every bottle and spends more time milling. Some of the most loved sakes in Japan are less polished Junmai, prized for their depth and savory character. Some brewers even make a point of polishing lightly to let the rice speak.

Think of polishing ratio like the cut of a gemstone: it changes how the sake shows off, not whether it's good. The best way to find your style is to taste a few side by side.

How rice is polished

Brewers use tall milling machines that gently grind the outside of each grain while keeping it whole. It's slow work. Polish too fast and the grains crack or heat up, so highly polished rice can take days to mill. After milling, the rice rests for a few weeks to recover moisture before washing and soaking. That's step one in how sake is made.

Sake rice vs table rice

Sake rice, or sakamai, is grown specifically for brewing. Its grains are larger and its starchy center bigger than eating rice, which makes it easier to polish without breaking. Famous varieties include:

• Yamada Nishiki: often called the king of sake rice, grown widely in Hyogo. It's the rice in the WESAKE Sakura bottle.
• Gohyakumangoku: associated with Niigata, known for clean, light, crisp sake. It's the rice in the WESAKE can.
• Omachi and Miyamanishiki: two more classics, each with its own character.

More on ingredients in what sake is made from.

The polishing ratio in WESAKE

Both WESAKE sakes are polished to 60%. In the can, that means Gohyakumangoku rice with 40% milled away, brewed into a dry, light Junmai Ginjo with soft umami and a crisp finish. In the Sakura bottle, it's Yamada Nishiki polished to 60%, brewed into a floral, dry Junmai Ginjo with notes of white peach and pear.

Keep going with what Junmai Ginjo means, or zoom out with the complete guide to sake.