Type
Akishika Shuzo · Osaka
Akishika Junmai Ginjo Muroka Nama Genshu "Okushika" 2019
$64.00
No sales tax — Oregon
Rice
Yamadanishiki (house grown, organic)
Prefecture
Osaka
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.
DrySweetBone dry: crisp and clean, almost no perceptible sweetness. Everyone will read "5" as dry.
LightFullVery 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.
SoftAcidicAbove-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.
SubtleAromaticModerate 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.
Ground shipping is $25 to $40, free at 12 bottles.
Free pickup at our Portland shop. An adult (21+) with photo ID must be present for delivery.
Out of stock. Get an email when it's back
We'll email you once when it's back in stock.
Specifications
Poured at our Wednesday Flight
- Wednesday Lessons #34: Shinkame & Akishika, Jul 3, 2024
Shipping
Ships to most states, not Alaska, Hawaii or Utah. No sales tax (Oregon). Free Ground shipping at 12 bottles. Pickup at our Portland shop is free.
Pick up in person
Shop open Tu–Sun. Order online and pick up at the shop — 107 SE Washington St. #121, Portland, Oregon.
