Akishika Junmai Yamahai Yamadanishiki Namagenshu "Yama"

Made with house-grown, zero outside input (composted only with rice hulls and stalks leftover from milling) Yamadanishiki and aged at room temp (cooling only kicks in above ~90F for a few years before release, by the magicians at Akishika Shuzo in Nose, Osaka.

The label depicts a drawing of yama (mountain in Japanese), named after the Yamahai process and Yamadanishiki rice used in the sake, and was drawn by kuramoto-toji Oku-san himself. The rice is polished to 70% for depth of flavour and fermented with the strong but subtle yeast #7 for a fine acidic backbone, savory depth and long finish. Stored in the fride, you can enjoy this bottle for months once opened.

This is the most fresh-tasting and light of Akishika's export sake, even among the dry okarakuchi and jikagumi--it sits delicately on the palate, but with the same haunting earthy character we expect from Akishika, just dialed back and evoking spring fields rather than winter caves.

I quote my dear friend Sid (of Pianozake fame) because I don't think I could do a better job myself.

It's so powerfully herbal but also shows awesome savory tones, a perfume of fresh spring veggies, mushrooms cooked in butter, cantaloupe, little pictures of a garden after rain. It's dense and nutty on the palate, but with a cool, minty kind of finish that begs you to take another sip. I tried it at every temp from cold to hot- all amazing, although both extremes were the most interesting- cold was refreshing and still so complex even with the chill muting the details, and gently heating it brought out a lot more of the fruity notes, meeting the herbal and umami tones at eye level.