Junmai daiginjo is the highest grade of sake, Japan's famous rice wine beverage. If basic futsu sake is to Japan what blended whisky is to Scotland, Junmai daiginjo is the finest single malt.
To qualify as Junmai daiginjo, the sake must be made with rice grains that have been polished to half their original weight. The rice is then mixed with koji, the Japanese name for the fungus Aspergillus oryzae, which converts starch into sugar for fermentation. Due to the stringent quality controls involved, and the costs of the production process, Junmai daiginjo is produced only in very small quantities.
Junmai daiginjo is extremely labor-intensive to brew, and is usually the top offering from sake producers. It is highly fragrant and complex in style, and its delicacy requires similarly delicate food matches like sashimi.
