Sake is legally under 22% ABV, and typical bottles sit around 15%. What do the calorie and carbohydrate numbers actually come from? Here is a summary of public data from Japan's tax, education and health authorities.
Under Japan's Liquor Tax Act, seishu (sake) is defined as alcohol of less than 22 degrees. The National Tax Agency's table of liquor categories and definitions describes sake as a beverage made by fermenting and filtering rice, rice koji and water (with alcohol of less than 22 degrees), among other permitted methods.
In Japan, alcohol strength is written in “degrees,” and the labeling rules also accept a percent sign. The 22 is a ceiling in the definition, not the strength of a typical bottle, which is lower, as the next section shows.
Typical sake is around 15% ABV. Kikusui Shuzo says the alcohol content of ordinary sake can be thought of as “around 15 degrees,” and Takara Shuzo International also gives about 15 degrees.
Genshu, sake not diluted to adjust its strength, runs higher. According to the National Tax Agency, the word genshu may be used when no water has been added after production to adjust it (adding water by less than 1 percentage point of alcohol is excepted). Takara Shuzo International says many genshu are high, around 20 degrees. One genshu product from Kikusui Shuzo is 17 degrees, so the range depends on the brand.
Low-alcohol sake also exists. Kikusui Shuzo presents a sparkling sake at 5 degrees as a low-alcohol sake. In the sources we checked, we did not find a single official standard defining “low-alcohol sake.”
The alcohol figure is a mandatory item on a sake label. The National Tax Agency lists it alongside the producer's name, the brewery's address, the content volume and the product category. It is written in “degrees” or “%,” for example “13 to under 14 degrees” or “13% to under 14%.”
For fermented beverages including sake, the Agency's explanatory notes also allow the label to show an alcohol figure within plus or minus 1 degree of the actual value, in steps of 1 degree or 0.5 degree. So the number on the bottle is not always the exact measured value. For the rest of the label, see our guide to reading a sake label.
In the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th revised edition, 2023 supplement), the five sake entries have 102 to 107 kcal per 100 g, 3.6 to 4.9 g of carbohydrate and 12.0 to 12.5 g of alcohol. The table below quotes the tables' values as published.
| Food | Food No. | Energy | Carbohydrate | Alcohol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Futsu-shu (regular sake) | 16001 | 107 kcal | 4.9 g | 12.3 g |
| Junmai-shu | 16002 | 102 kcal | 3.6 g | 12.3 g |
| Honjozo-shu | 16003 | 106 kcal | 4.5 g | 12.3 g |
| Ginjo-shu | 16004 | 103 kcal | 3.6 g | 12.5 g |
| Junmai Ginjo-shu | 16005 | 102 kcal | 4.1 g | 12.0 g |
All figures are per 100 g of edible portion (0% waste), not per go (180 ml). Converting millilitres to grams needs a specific gravity, so this page does not convert the 100 g figures into a per-go value. The alcohol figure in the table (12.0 to 12.5 g) is by weight, a different unit from the ABV on a label, which is by volume.
The carbohydrate figure is the tables' own “carbohydrate” entry. The tables list other values separately, such as available carbohydrates: for ginjo-shu, carbohydrate is 3.6 g, while available carbohydrates (by weight) appear in parentheses as 2.4 g. If you see a different “sugar” figure elsewhere, check which entry it refers to.
Here are the values for pale beer and wine from the same tables. All are per 100 g, so this is not a comparison per glass, because the amount you drink differs.
| Food | Food No. | Energy | Carbohydrate | Alcohol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beer, pale | 16006 | 39 kcal | 3.1 g | 3.7 g |
| Wine, white | 16010 | 75 kcal | 2.0 g | 9.1 g |
| Wine, red | 16011 | 68 kcal | 1.5 g | 9.3 g |
Per 100 g in the tables, sake (102 to 107 kcal) is higher than pale beer at 39 kcal, white wine at 75 kcal and red wine at 68 kcal. That is a comparison by equal weight, and it does not say which is better at the amounts people actually drink.
It helps to track grams of pure alcohol rather than the volume of the drink. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Guidelines on Drinking for Health give pure alcohol (g) as volume (ml) x alcohol concentration (ABV/100) x 0.8 (the specific gravity of alcohol). For 180 ml (one go) of sake at 15% ABV, that is 180 x 0.15 x 0.8 = 21.6 g (a worked example that assumes 15%).
In describing national targets, the same guideline gives 40 g or more of pure alcohol per day for men and 20 g or more for women as amounts that raise the risk of lifestyle-related diseases. It also says the effects of drinking vary between individuals and that a smaller amount is desirable for some constitutions. If you have health concerns, please consult a doctor.
Drinking under 20 is prohibited in Japan
This page does not encourage drinking; it summarizes public information. Please also avoid alcohol during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Q. How much alcohol is in sake?
A. Typical sake is around 15% alcohol by volume (ABV), according to Kikusui Shuzo and Takara Shuzo International. It varies by brand, so check the "alcohol" figure on the bottle's label for the exact number.
Q. Is there a legal upper limit on sake's alcohol content?
A. Yes. Under Japan's Liquor Tax Act, seishu (sake) is defined as a beverage with alcohol of less than 22 degrees. That is a definitional ceiling, not the usual strength of sake on the shelf.
Q. Is genshu stronger? Is there low-alcohol sake?
A. Genshu is sake that has not been diluted with water to adjust its strength, and Takara Shuzo International says many are high, around 20% ABV. On the other hand, Kikusui Shuzo presents a 5% ABV low-alcohol sake (a sparkling sake), so some brewery products are lower in strength.
Q. How many calories are in sake?
A. In Japan's Standard Tables of Food Composition (8th revised edition, 2023 supplement), the five sake entries (futsu-shu, junmai-shu, honjozo-shu, ginjo-shu, junmai ginjo-shu) have 102 to 107 kcal per 100 g of edible portion: futsu-shu 107, honjozo-shu 106, ginjo-shu 103, and junmai-shu and junmai ginjo-shu 102 kcal.
Q. Do carbohydrates differ between types of sake?
A. Yes. The tables list carbohydrates per 100 g as futsu-shu 4.9 g, honjozo-shu 4.5 g, junmai ginjo-shu 4.1 g, and junmai-shu and ginjo-shu 3.6 g each. The "carbohydrate" figure is separate from other entries such as available carbohydrates.
Q. Is the ABV on a sake label exact?
A. For sake, the National Tax Agency says the label may show an alcohol figure within plus or minus 1 degree of the actual value, in steps of 1 degree or 0.5 degree. A range such as "15 to under 16 degrees" is also used.
Q. How much pure alcohol is in one go (180 ml) of sake?
A. Using the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare formula (volume in ml x ABV/100 x 0.8), 180 ml of 15% sake works out to 21.6 g of pure alcohol. A different ABV gives a different figure. The same guideline gives 40 g or more per day for men and 20 g or more per day for women as amounts that raise the risk of lifestyle-related diseases.
Sources: National Tax Agency, Classification and definitions of liquor under the Liquor Tax Act; National Tax Agency, Explanatory notes on liquor labeling (common to all categories); National Tax Agency, Mandatory liquor labeling / Sake labeling standard; MEXT Food Composition Database (Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 8th revised, 2023 supplement): Sake, futsu-shu; Same: junmai-shu; Same: honjozo-shu; Same: ginjo-shu; Same: junmai ginjo-shu; Same: beer, pale; Same: wine, white; Same: wine, red; Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Guidelines on Drinking for Health; Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, About the Guidelines on Drinking for Health; Kikusui Shuzo, How much alcohol is in sake?; Takara Shuzo International, Sake knowledge. All sources are in Japanese; the descriptions above are our translations.