Akishika Shuzo Omachi Yamahai Nama Genshu

70% Polish, Omachi, 17% ABV, SMV +9. Akshika Brewery, Osaka Prefecture.  This is brewed in the exact same method with the same water, koji, yeast and rice polish level as the Yama above, just instead using heirloom rice Omachi. So cool to try these side by side. Pours yellow, Deep nose of Worcestershire, tamarind, curry leaf. Palate is a forest of cotton balls, showing koji hazelnut butter notes but also a savory bisque of parsnip and porcini. Finish is rich and warming with notes of cocoa, warm car door and hazelnut. Acidity here feels lower than it is because of the richness of the Omachi heirloom rice. Lasts for months after opening.  Most sake brewers buy their rice – some from contracted farmers, most from unknown sources. “From our own fields to bottle” is the motto of Akishika Shuzō, where 6th-generation kuramoto Oku Hiroaki made a decision to take the brewery as close as it gets to being self-sustained for rice production. At present, the brewery farms 25 hectares of biodynamic