Junmai Daiginjo
The top grade: pure rice sake made from rice polished to 50% or less, brewed slowly at low temperature.
- Rice left after polishing
- 50% or less
- Added alcohol
- No
- Typical US price, 720 ml
- $52 median
- Bottles at Tippsy
- 59
Junmai daiginjo (純米大吟醸) combines the two strictest rules: no added alcohol, and at least half of every grain polished away. Many brewers go much further — 35%, 23%, even single digits — and print the number on the label.
Long, cold fermentation (ginjo-zukuri) brings out fruit and flower aromas: melon, pear, white peach, lychee. The body is usually light and silky with a clean finish.
How to drink it: chilled, around 8–12°C, in a wine glass to catch the aroma. Heat flattens what makes it special. Pair with delicate food — sashimi, scallops, fresh cheese — or drink it on its own.
Junmai Daiginjo bottles you can buy in the US.
In stock at Tippsy, best-rated brands first.
Prices and bottle counts come from Tippsy's catalog on October 28, 2026. Sake 47 may earn a commission when you buy through these links. It never affects flavor data or rankings.
Other grades
Flavor profiles and rankings: Sakenowa (さけのわ) open data, built from drinkers' check-ins in Japan.