Type
Ippongi Kubo Honten · Fukui
Denshin Junmai Genshu "Aki" (2026)
$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.
Undiluted, full-bodied, old-school junmai with autumnal notes of brown butter, 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.
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.
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
Region: Chubu
Type: Junmai
Rice: Koshinosizuku (local, rare) & Sakahomare
Rice-Polishing Ratio: 65%
ABV: 17%
Yeast: Proprietary (low aroma)
Size: 720ml
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.
