Umami

This is an important word for talking about the taste of sake. We use this word many times in our tasting notes. So we should explain about "Umami" today.

Kikunae Ikeda,
who uncovered the chemical root
behind a taste he named umami.

Umami (旨味 or 旨み) is one of the five basic tastes (bitterness, saltiness, sourness, sweetness and umami).

"Umami: freed at last from having to explain that this is untranslatable, as it gains currency as an English loan word. Umami has been recognized as a basic flavor (like sweet, sour, bitter, etc.). Originally pinned down as the key flavor element in Japanese 'dashi' fish stock, tomatoes and parmesan cheese have also been found to be rich in 'umami' flavor. For sake drinkers, it is the rich, full, statisfying flavor (almost texture) deriving from rice, and deepening with time."
refer from THE BOOK OF SAKE, A Connoisseur's Guide: Phillip Harper.

So "Umami" is an element of deliciousness. Sake (especially Junmai) has four of the five tastes (I believe the saltiness is not in sake) and the balance of them makes its character. Umami is a very key word of Junmaishu and this is one of the differences from Honjozo and Regular Sake.