Finally things are beginning to cool down as we segue into autumn. As well as being the time of turning leaves, cooler breezes and better food, autumn is when sake brewed the previous season traditionally goes on sale. Two types of sake you may come across in your autumnal perusing are aki-agari and hiya-oroshi.
Although most sake is not aged for long periods of time, it is, in general, a bit too young to drink when the brewing season wraps up in the spring. Both the flavors and the fragrances are brash and sharp-edged, and a bit of time sitting quietly helps round them out and deepen them.
This maturation period is known as chojuku. It was traditionally only about six months, and so the fall became the time when properly aged sake was released. Naturally, brewers often had to release some sake earlier to satisfy demand. But the connoisseurs knew that matured sake was well worth the wait. Sake released in the fall after the proper maturation period came to be known as aki-agari.