Style: junmai, yamahai, muroka, nama-gen, and shizenshu
Rice: Yamada Nishiki
Yeast: #7
Polish rate: 70%
Alcohol: 17%
This sake with mountain (yama) label from the brewery Akishika Shuzō is the complete negation of most dry sake available in Japan.
Whereas the latter tend to be light and dry (tanrei karakuchi), Akishika dry sake is rich and profound, full-bodied, with pronounced acidity. This very dry sake is close to the dry end of the Sake Meter Value, but does not taste extremely dry because of the high levels of acidity and umami. It shows greater depths as it ages.
Slow-brewed, made with self-cultivated natural rice. Unpasteurized, unfiltered, undiluted. Drink at all temperatures.
About Akishika
Founded in 1886 in Nose, Osaka Prefecture, Akishika Shuzō is led by sixth generation owner and toji Hiroaki Oku. The brewery farms approximately 50 acres of rice fields and sources additional rice from about 20 local growers, all cultivated organically. Since 2000, Akishika has avoided herbicides, pesticides, and synthetic agricultural chemicals, instead using compost made from rice husks, rice straw, rice bran, and sake lees generated during brewing.
Since 2004, the brewery has produced only junmai sake. Charcoal filtration was eliminated that same year, followed by the removal of filtration entirely in 2005. The resulting sake are known for pronounced umami, firm structure, and high acidity, making them particularly suited to ageing. Akishika holds back a significant portion of production for maturation before release, with many cuvées intended to show best after extended bottle age.
