You're About to Find Out Just How Bomb Your "Japanese" Sake Is

Few culinary products are so esteemed and inextricably bound to a specific region that they earn the prestigious designation known as geographical indication protection. The list is a what's what of gastronomic specialties, and you know their names: Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; the sparkling wine of Champagne; Ibérico ham. These are legends of the food world dubbed worthy of name-brand protection so that bozos around the world can't legally sell knockoffs that were made outside of specific areas.

Now, a new category is joining the ranks: Japanese sake.

When it comes to sake, you'd probably assume that when you order a bottle to pair with your sushi, it comes from Japan. But that's not necessarily so, and most consumers don't know how to spot an import from a domestic.

"The biggest thing is that when the majority of customers order sake today, whether they are in Minnesota or New York or someplace else, a very large percent of the sake they might order is domestically produced. It's from California or Oregon," Timothy Sullivan, a sake sommelier who founded UrbanSake.com and teaches at the Sake School of America, told MUNCHIES. "It's really a big blind spot for consumers. They don't know enough about the industry and where sake is made."

Sullivan estimates that nearly 70 percent of sake sold in America is brewed right here in the USA. Under the new Geographic Indication rule, anything labeled as "Japanese sake" will have to be brewed in Japan exclusively using Japanese rice and water. Going forward, those bottles will feature the designation—and that could be good news for Japanese brewers who make premium sake.

"People look at a menu and some sakes are $10, and some go up to $30, $60, or $100. If the assumption is that all sake is the same, many consumers say, 'I'll get the $10 bottle,' not knowing it came from California," Sullivan said. "But if there is a clear differentiation that this is premium Japanese sake and that's why this costs $20, maybe they'll give that a try."

In return for American recognition of Japanese sake as a distinct product, Japan, which is experiencing an ongoing whiskey boom, will recognize "Tennessee Whiskey" and "Bourbon Whiskey" as distinct American products made in specific regions.

Up to this point, it was largely true that if you wanted to guarantee you were getting that real junmai ginjo straight from Japan, you'd probably have to look past the cheapest bottles on the list. Now, ordering sake will be a bit more straightforward, and even a novice can pick out the real deal—just show some respect and try not to drop it in your beer.