Genshu

【English】

Genshu; undiluted sake (literally, “original” (base) sake)

【Japanese】

原酒

Seishu which has not been diluted after pressing.  However, sake which has had water added within a range that reduces the alcohol content by less than 1% is also considered genshu. This is permitted to allow for small adjustments to the percentage of alcohol of products.

In most cases (including where there has been an addition of brewer’s alcohol), genshu has an alcohol content of 18-21%. Conventional sake products are usually made by diluting genshu to around 15%.

The characteristics of genshu as a style are related to the body and aroma of sake itself: it tends to be rich and powerful of flavour and aroma. Largely in the state in which it was brewed, it used to be possible to drink it only in sake breweries. In recent years, products with names like “unfiltered genshu” (muroka genshu, 無濾過原酒) and kura dashi genshu (蔵出し原酒) have come on sale to exploit this characteristic. Genshu has a high level of alcohol, and so is often drunk cold or with ice.