Sadly, the Coronavirus pandemic severely impacted sake breweries: many restaurants and izakaya were closed or restricted their work hours, and guests stayed away. Some breweries resorted to crowdfunding projects to sell their existing sake stocks or continue limited production. We found Akana Brewery's campaign on Campfire, stating they intended to support Shimane farmers producing the Koshihikari rice used for their junmai sake. We had never heard of a junmai daiginjo namagenshu and got curious. Last weekend, the 300ml bottle arrived in a cool box, and we did not waste any time degusting it.
This is unfiltered, unpasteurised sake, so it should always be stored in a refrigerator and served chilled. It has a straw-coloured appearance and an elegant nose with floral and lactic notes. Contrary to my expectations, there were no traces of effervescence. Floral on the palate with notes of fungi, it is well-rounded, boasting a pleasant underlying sweetness and a mild and clean finish. This is an exquisite brew.
We paired it with maguro don, but it should be perfect with any savoury dish. Strange enough, the Akana website does not reveal how to procure other Kinunomine products. We'll keep our eyes peeled for more sake delights from the snowy hills of Shimane.
This is unfiltered, unpasteurised sake, so it should always be stored in a refrigerator and served chilled. It has a straw-coloured appearance and an elegant nose with floral and lactic notes. Contrary to my expectations, there were no traces of effervescence. Floral on the palate with notes of fungi, it is well-rounded, boasting a pleasant underlying sweetness and a mild and clean finish. This is an exquisite brew.
We paired it with maguro don, but it should be perfect with any savoury dish. Strange enough, the Akana website does not reveal how to procure other Kinunomine products. We'll keep our eyes peeled for more sake delights from the snowy hills of Shimane.