WATER SHAPES THE DRINK
Does water shape the drink?
Photo: Daderot / Public domain
26 September 2026 · Sake · Japanese Whisky
Mashing, rice washing, dilution — water is the first ingredient of every drink. But "this water, therefore this taste" is a claim no one can make.
The first ingredient
Sake is legally defined as a drink fermented from rice, rice koji and water, then pressed. For whisky, the JSLA labeling standard specifies water drawn in Japan among the permitted ingredients.
Resisting simplification
Water's character influences fermentation and flavour, but never apart from rice, koji, yeast, temperature and the maker's decisions. This archive limits statements about water to what producers and official sources actually say.
SOURCES
- 1酒税法における酒類の分類及び定義（酒のしおり 2025）国税庁 National Tax Agency · Government · accessed 2026-09-26
- 2ウイスキーにおけるジャパニーズウイスキーの表示に関する基準日本洋酒酒造組合 Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association · Industry body · accessed 2026-09-26
PHOTO CREDITS
All image credits →- 1Mountain stream — Daderot · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons