Denshin Junmai Genshu "Aki"

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.