Sake
In Japanese, the word sake is also used as a generic term for alcohol. The correct term for refined Japanese rice wine is seishu, or more commonly nihonshu. Like wine made from grapes, there are regional variations and good and bad years but sake is not usually stored for more than a year. Good sake is produced all over the country and with thousands of small breweries, finding one to suit your palate shouldn't be too hard. There are different grades of sake depending on the milling process used on the rice and what additives are used, if any. The production cycle takes about one year: Autumn rice is used in the brewing process, which starts in winter and ends the following spring. The sake matures during the summer and is finally bottled in the autumn. Sake has an alcohol content similar to wine, around 16%. It can be served either warmed or chilled. The cheaper varieties are usually served hot (atsukan) straight into a glass in cheap drinking establishments like izakaya or yakitoriya. Otherwise it is served in an earthenware bottle (tokkuri) and poured into small cups (sakazuki).