Flavor profileEach scale is our tasting-room read on where this bottle sits between two extremes — dry to sweet, light to full-bodied, soft to acidic, and subtle to aromatic. These are subjective, however, and will shift with food, serveware & temp.
Dry
SweetBone dry: crisp and clean, almost no perceptible sweetness. Everyone will read "5" as dry.
Light
FullVery full: big, dense and viscous, layered and very complex, and/or lots of sweetness, alcohol, umami & age (or all the above). Like a strong cocktail, you'll sip a 5 more slowly.
Soft
AcidicAbove-average acidity, an important part of this sake's character, but nowhere near sour/tart. Lift, refreshing. When paired with higher sweetness, it creates a juicy, ripe impression.
Subtle
AromaticModerate aroma: noticeable from the glass. Most often, moderate intensity aromas are either ginjo-ka (fruit, florals) or koshu-ka (nuts, mushroom, brown sugar).
Pairs with
Enjoy Okushika with a dairy or vegan cheese plate (think lots of miso-rich, aged and umami-dense cashew cheeses) + quince or fig paste, beef and burdock nabe, miso keema curry (also, so good). 2019 in particular you'll pair with pork agrodolce, spiced game-- think goat massaman curry, seared venison, chanterelle and vadouvan soup, and and other spiced-land foods (or, you know, a nice piece of charred albacore & good shoyu wouldn't hurt too...)Think deep flavors, lots of umami & lots of salt.
Akishika's flagship, a junmai brewed from organic rice and aged a minimum of 3 years in mountainous inland Osaka, about 45 minutes outside of Kyoto.
As we can always expect from Akishika, this "fresh" (well...) Okushika vintage has a completely distinct character: still with that deep roots, earthy, complex yet intense duality, but more koshu character in 2019... I want to warm it up much more than I did for 2018, to bring out the goat caramel/cajeta, gjetost and tangy cheese, fenugreek, vanilla, white pepper and quince paste notes, set off by a minerally spine that will keep it aging well into the 2030's. This is a vintage you'll pair with pork agrodolce, spiced game-- think goat massaman curry, seared venison, chanterelle and vadouvan soup, and and other spiced-land foods (or, you know, a nice piece of charred albacore...)
With a texture of velour, the comfort of a weighted blanket and a persistent finish... Okushika is really a marvel and a work of art.
Your case:
$30 flat-rate case shipping (up to 12 bottles) — the more you add, the less per bottle. Per federal requirements, an adult (21+) with photo ID must be present to receive the delivery.
Sake Club members: $20 shipping (up to 12 bottles) with your club bottles About the clubs
Specifications
Region: Kansai
Class: Junmai Ginjo
Style: Namazake
Rice: Yamadanishiki (house grown, organic)
Rice-Polishing Ratio: 60%
ABV: 17.5%
SMV: +7
Acidity: 2.7
Size: 720ml / 1800ml
Shipping
Available nationwide to states and counties that permit alcohol. No sales tax (Oregon). Flat-rate case shipping; in-store pickup available.
Pick up in person
Shop open Tu–Sun. Order online and pick up at the shop — 107 SE Washington St. #121, Portland, Oregon.