Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice liquor that is often used in Japanese cuisine to prepare a variety of dishes. It is one of the main ingredients in many Japanese sauces and marinades, as well as dishes such as teriyaki, sukiyaki and some types of sushi. Mirin adds a distinctive sweetness and depth of flavour to dishes, helping to balance other flavours such as the saltiness of soy sauce or the sharpness of wasabi. The production of mirin uses rice starch, which is fermented using special yeast cultures. This process converts the starch into sugars and then into alcohol. Traditional mirin - known as 'hon-mirin' - contains about 14% of alcohol and is characterised by a rich flavour and slightly sweet aroma. There are also reduced alcohol versions and synthetic mirin substitutes