Akashi-Tai Junmai Daiginjo Genshu (720ml)

Akashi-Tai is the flagship "Grand Cru" sake from the Akashi Sake Brewery, the same Yonezawa family operation in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture that has been brewing since 1856. Fourth generation toji Kimio Yonezawa personally oversees the koji for this bottling, reportedly watching over it for 72 hours straight to draw out the fullest expression of the rice.

Junmai Daiginjo Genshu is brewed only during the coldest months of winter, using 100 percent Yamadanishiki rice grown in Hyogo and polished down to just 38 percent of its original size. The junmai designation means no distilled alcohol is added, while genshu means the sake is bottled at its natural, undiluted strength rather than cut with water before release. Roughly two months go into crafting each batch, and the finished sake comes in around 16 percent alcohol by volume, considerably stronger than most standard table sakes.

The nose is a rush of melon, lemon, and bitter orange, layered with green grass, sage, and a whisper of pink peppercorn. The palate carries that same citrus balance alongside a saline, mineral edge, staying full bodied yet never heavy. The finish is long and clean, lingering with fruit rather than sweetness.