WSET LEVEL 1 SAKE EXAM LATEST 2024 QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES|GRADED
A+
What are common flavors found when less layers are
polished away? - ANSWER-acidity, umami, cereal, lactic
What are common flavors found when more layers are
polished away? - ANSWER-fruity, floral
Polishing ratio of honjozo and most junmai - ANSWER-70% or
less
Polishing ratio of ginjo or junmai ginjo - ANSWER-60% or less
Polishing ratio of daiginjo or junmai daiginjo - ANSWER-50%
or less
The four stages of making Koji - ANSWER-cooling rice,
spreading mold, mold growth, controlling and stopping mold
growth
,What are the two main contributors to the flavor of a sake
during fermentation? - ANSWER-fermentation temperatures
and yeast strains
The four specialty styles of Sake - ANSWER-Nama, Nigori,
Sparkling, Koshu
What makes it Nama sake?` - ANSWER-It has not been
pasteurized
What makes it Nigori sake? - ANSWER-Light filtration (cloudy)
What makes it Koshu sake? - ANSWER-Different aging
methods
Describe oxidation - ANSWER-bottle open too long, aromas of
caramel and toffee, deeper color
Describe "out of condition" - ANSWER-a bottle that is too old
develops unwelcome aromas of caramel, toffee and pickled
vegetables
Describe "Nama-hine" - ANSWER-Nama-zakes can develop
unlpeasant aromas of malt, meat and rotting vegetables
,What is a tokkuri? - ANSWER-A ceramic flask used to heat
and warm sake.
What is a o-choko? - ANSWER-A traditional sake cup
Ingredients of Sake - ANSWER-Steamed white rice, koji,
water, yeast
Optional ingredient of Sake - ANSWER-High-strength distilled
alcohol
Koji - ANSWER-a fungus used to start fermentation, sake
brewers take steamed rice and grow mold on it to create koji
making alcohol from sugar and yeast - ANSWER-Dissolve
sugar into water, add yeast, yeast eats sugar, turns into
alcohol and produce carbon dioxide
3 steps in making sake - ANSWER-Fermentation, filtration &
bottling
3 optional steps in making sake - ANSWER-Adding alcohol,
adding water & pasteurization
, When fermentation is finished sake typically has an ABV of ?
percent - ANSWER-20 % ABV
Filtration - ANSWER-Removes rice solids to produce a clear
liquid
Adding high strength distilled alcohol - ANSWER-Sometimes
added to sake before filtration to help extract flavors trapped
in the rice solids
adding water - ANSWER-Water is nearly always added before
it is bottled to reduce the alcohol level from around 20% to
15-17%
What is sake? - ANSWER-An alcoholic beverage made from
Rice
What are the four main ingredients in sake? - ANSWER-rice,
koji, water, yeast
What is an optional ingredient in Sake - ANSWER-high
strength distilled alcohol
What is koji? - ANSWER-Steamed rice that grows mold,
needed to make alcohol
CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES|GRADED
A+
What are common flavors found when less layers are
polished away? - ANSWER-acidity, umami, cereal, lactic
What are common flavors found when more layers are
polished away? - ANSWER-fruity, floral
Polishing ratio of honjozo and most junmai - ANSWER-70% or
less
Polishing ratio of ginjo or junmai ginjo - ANSWER-60% or less
Polishing ratio of daiginjo or junmai daiginjo - ANSWER-50%
or less
The four stages of making Koji - ANSWER-cooling rice,
spreading mold, mold growth, controlling and stopping mold
growth
,What are the two main contributors to the flavor of a sake
during fermentation? - ANSWER-fermentation temperatures
and yeast strains
The four specialty styles of Sake - ANSWER-Nama, Nigori,
Sparkling, Koshu
What makes it Nama sake?` - ANSWER-It has not been
pasteurized
What makes it Nigori sake? - ANSWER-Light filtration (cloudy)
What makes it Koshu sake? - ANSWER-Different aging
methods
Describe oxidation - ANSWER-bottle open too long, aromas of
caramel and toffee, deeper color
Describe "out of condition" - ANSWER-a bottle that is too old
develops unwelcome aromas of caramel, toffee and pickled
vegetables
Describe "Nama-hine" - ANSWER-Nama-zakes can develop
unlpeasant aromas of malt, meat and rotting vegetables
,What is a tokkuri? - ANSWER-A ceramic flask used to heat
and warm sake.
What is a o-choko? - ANSWER-A traditional sake cup
Ingredients of Sake - ANSWER-Steamed white rice, koji,
water, yeast
Optional ingredient of Sake - ANSWER-High-strength distilled
alcohol
Koji - ANSWER-a fungus used to start fermentation, sake
brewers take steamed rice and grow mold on it to create koji
making alcohol from sugar and yeast - ANSWER-Dissolve
sugar into water, add yeast, yeast eats sugar, turns into
alcohol and produce carbon dioxide
3 steps in making sake - ANSWER-Fermentation, filtration &
bottling
3 optional steps in making sake - ANSWER-Adding alcohol,
adding water & pasteurization
, When fermentation is finished sake typically has an ABV of ?
percent - ANSWER-20 % ABV
Filtration - ANSWER-Removes rice solids to produce a clear
liquid
Adding high strength distilled alcohol - ANSWER-Sometimes
added to sake before filtration to help extract flavors trapped
in the rice solids
adding water - ANSWER-Water is nearly always added before
it is bottled to reduce the alcohol level from around 20% to
15-17%
What is sake? - ANSWER-An alcoholic beverage made from
Rice
What are the four main ingredients in sake? - ANSWER-rice,
koji, water, yeast
What is an optional ingredient in Sake - ANSWER-high
strength distilled alcohol
What is koji? - ANSWER-Steamed rice that grows mold,
needed to make alcohol
