Type
Ippongi Kubo Honten · Fukui
Denshin Junmai Genshu "Aki"
$28.00
No sales tax — Oregon
Rice
Koshinosizuku (local, rare) & Sakahomare
Prefecture
Fukui
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.
DrySweetBalanced dry: reads as dry, with a little bit of softness, or maybe a fruit/brown sugar note that tempers the impression of dryness. Most people will read "2" as dry.
LightFullMedium: a bit of richness or creaminess, heft, more flavor intensity, more presence, sometimes higher alcohol or sweetness. A lot of namazake sits here.
SoftAcidicVery soft: gentle and mellow, almost no perceptible acidity. A "1" sake isn't flat or boring, but is balanced around overall subtlety and softness, using other characteristics to give it structure.
SubtleAromaticSubtle aroma: if you stick your nose in, you'll get a few quiet notes of fruit, grains, nuts & rice. Aroma isn't a big part of this sake's character. An aromatically quiet sake can still have a powerful flavor, though.
Pairs with
Pair with noodle kugel, (cashew or regular) mac and cheese, roasted sweet potatoes with miso-honey-butter, butter chicken, or Japanese cream stew.
This might be the most rustic of the Denshin releases, because it makes no effort to be “pretty” or aromatic, instead it is a full embrace of cold-weather richness and nostalgia. This sake is comforting, simple: the kind of drink I reach for to relax, to not think. While I offer many suggestions for non-Japanese cuisine, this might be the one most suited to rustic, homestyle, cool weather Japanese cooking. It also ages gracefully, improving and evolving each year.
Undiluted, full-bodied, old-school junmai with unmistakably autumnal notes of fire-roasted sweet potato, chestnut, boiled peanuts and egg custard. But there's also a freshness to it when you first open the bottle: a fleck of lemon lime and salt that reminds me of the much lighter, less serious Tensei Endless Summer.
Aki is an indulgent, guilty pleasure that feels like a sake mounted with cultured butter, softened by the silky texture of Fukui's utlra clean, soft water. Delicious at room temp, a little warm, or with a light chill-- but not too cold.
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: Chubu
Type: Junmai
Rice: Koshinosizuku (local, rare) & Sakahomare
Rice-Polishing Ratio: 65%
ABV: 17%
Yeast: Proprietary (low aroma)
Size: 720ml
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.
