You're standing in front of a wall of beautiful bottles. Most of the labels are in Japanese. Some have a percentage on them. Some say junmai, some say daiginjo, some say nigori. You want to choose well, but you have no idea where to start.
This course is built to dissolve that moment. In about 30 to 40 minutes, you'll walk away with a working command of sake from grain to glass.
What you'll learn
Six modules, each built on the same five-part rhythm of accordion overviews, teaching slides, flashcards, and a knowledge check at 75% to advance.
Module 1 defines sake clearly and separates it from wine and beer. It's brewed, closer to beer than wine, and not technically a rice wine.
Module 2 covers the four core ingredients: rice, water, koji, and yeast. You'll learn why Yamada Nishiki is the king of sake rice and why koji is Japan's national fungus.
Module 3 walks the brewing process, including parallel multiple fermentation, the one trick that lets sake reach 18 to 20% ABV naturally, higher than any other brewed beverage on earth.
Module 4 hands you the label decoder ring: junmai, honjozo, ginjo, daiginjo, nigori, namazake, genshu, and the seimaibuai polishing percentage that tells you 80% of what's in the bottle.
Module 5 puts sake on a map, from Niigata's clean and dry tanrei karakuchi style to Hyogo's bold, mineral-driven Nada district.
Module 6 takes the bottle off the shelf and into the glass. Temperature ranges from snow-cold to extra-hot, the right vessel for the moment, food pairing principles, and a working repertoire of sake cocktails including the Saketini, the Sakura Martini, the Tokyo Mule, and the Ginza Mary.
Who this is for
Beverage and hospitality professionals (bartenders, sommeliers, retail buyers, restaurant managers) who need a working command of sake to do their jobs well.
And sake-curious drinkers who simply want to enjoy this category with more confidence and less guesswork.
The course speaks to both, with Behind the Bar notes for trade specifics and Restaurant Move notes for the consumer ordering at dinner.
What you walk away with
A clear definition of sake. The four ingredients and why each matters. A working picture of how sake is made. The ability to decode a sake label in seconds. The right temperature, vessel, and food pairing for any style. A small repertoire of sake cocktails that respect the base.
Most of all, the next time you're in front of a sake list, you'll know what to order, and why.
Free to enroll. Self-paced. Certificate on completion.