WSET SAKE LEVEL 3 EXAM WITH
CORRECT ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND
CORRECTLY WELL DEFINED ANSWERS
LATEST ALREADY GRADED A+ 2025 – 2026
Premium Sake = Tokutei-meisho-shu
8 grades. Premium sake can only be made using rice, water,
koji, yeast, jozo alcohol.( ginjo style added 10%).
According to 2 aspects for dividing :
• the polishing ratio
• distilled alcohol was added before filtration.
1，Ginjo, 2，Daiginjo, 3，Junmai ginjo, 4，Junmai daiginjo,
5，Honjozo (less than 70%), 6，Tokubetsu junmai and 7，
Tokubetsu honjozo (less than 60%)，8，Junmai (not stipulate
a rice polishing ratio)
Tokubetsu (Three ways for a sake to quality for this)
1, Polished to below 60%
2, Using sake-specific rice only
,3, Some other process that the brewers has arranged to be
legally recongised.
Aruten = Short for Arukouro Tenka
It dose not increase the alcohol, because water is added after
filtration. It subtly enhances the aromas, and can make the
sake slightly lighter in body. For Futsu-shu, its use increases
volume and helps reduce the cost.
How sake is different from spirit?
(1) Sake is not a spirit because it is not distilled.
(2) Sake has moderate alcohol (around 15-17% abv), a small
amount of sake are added distillled alcohol.
How sake is different from wine ?
(1) Sake used of rice as a raw material no contain fermentable
sugar.
(2) The raw material used to produce sake is a solid, as
opposed to making the wine is a liquid (grape juice)
(3) Color and tannins are absent in polished white rice
(4) Very little acidity and flavor.
How sake is different from beer ?
(1) Sake is only used polished rice, beer used unpolished
grains (usally barley) and other materials to added flavors.
(2) Beer need the process called "malting",to break starch
down into fermentable sugar, sake used koji mold to break
starch down into sugars.
, (3) Beer is used single line fermentation technology, sake
making is used parallel mutiple fermentation.
single v multiple fermentation
single (eg making wine) - ingredient must already contain
sugar, then you add yeast to convert the sugar into alcohol
multiple (eg making beer or sake) - ingredient has starch,
then you add microorganisms to convert the starch into sugar
and you add yeast to convert the sugar into alcohol
single line multiple fermentation
Use to make beer:
First, saccharification takes place, then alcoholic
fermentation.
(Malt is a germinated barley which produces a diastatic
enzyme during germination to cause saccharification), then
you add yeast to create the alcohol)
Yabuta-Shibori (Assakuki )
yabuta is the major brand of the machine. A modern industry
standard for filtration. Fast, efficient, no contamination risk,
good at minimising oxidation. Strong pressure can release
coarse components from the lees into the sake.
for futsu-shu, junmai, honjozo, also for ginjo and daiginjo.
Funa-Shibori
CORRECT ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND
CORRECTLY WELL DEFINED ANSWERS
LATEST ALREADY GRADED A+ 2025 – 2026
Premium Sake = Tokutei-meisho-shu
8 grades. Premium sake can only be made using rice, water,
koji, yeast, jozo alcohol.( ginjo style added 10%).
According to 2 aspects for dividing :
• the polishing ratio
• distilled alcohol was added before filtration.
1，Ginjo, 2，Daiginjo, 3，Junmai ginjo, 4，Junmai daiginjo,
5，Honjozo (less than 70%), 6，Tokubetsu junmai and 7，
Tokubetsu honjozo (less than 60%)，8，Junmai (not stipulate
a rice polishing ratio)
Tokubetsu (Three ways for a sake to quality for this)
1, Polished to below 60%
2, Using sake-specific rice only
,3, Some other process that the brewers has arranged to be
legally recongised.
Aruten = Short for Arukouro Tenka
It dose not increase the alcohol, because water is added after
filtration. It subtly enhances the aromas, and can make the
sake slightly lighter in body. For Futsu-shu, its use increases
volume and helps reduce the cost.
How sake is different from spirit?
(1) Sake is not a spirit because it is not distilled.
(2) Sake has moderate alcohol (around 15-17% abv), a small
amount of sake are added distillled alcohol.
How sake is different from wine ?
(1) Sake used of rice as a raw material no contain fermentable
sugar.
(2) The raw material used to produce sake is a solid, as
opposed to making the wine is a liquid (grape juice)
(3) Color and tannins are absent in polished white rice
(4) Very little acidity and flavor.
How sake is different from beer ?
(1) Sake is only used polished rice, beer used unpolished
grains (usally barley) and other materials to added flavors.
(2) Beer need the process called "malting",to break starch
down into fermentable sugar, sake used koji mold to break
starch down into sugars.
, (3) Beer is used single line fermentation technology, sake
making is used parallel mutiple fermentation.
single v multiple fermentation
single (eg making wine) - ingredient must already contain
sugar, then you add yeast to convert the sugar into alcohol
multiple (eg making beer or sake) - ingredient has starch,
then you add microorganisms to convert the starch into sugar
and you add yeast to convert the sugar into alcohol
single line multiple fermentation
Use to make beer:
First, saccharification takes place, then alcoholic
fermentation.
(Malt is a germinated barley which produces a diastatic
enzyme during germination to cause saccharification), then
you add yeast to create the alcohol)
Yabuta-Shibori (Assakuki )
yabuta is the major brand of the machine. A modern industry
standard for filtration. Fast, efficient, no contamination risk,
good at minimising oxidation. Strong pressure can release
coarse components from the lees into the sake.
for futsu-shu, junmai, honjozo, also for ginjo and daiginjo.
Funa-Shibori
