Junmai Umeshu (72 cl)

A plum junmai sake with a restrained sweetness, giving way to a fresh acidity, plum smell and rice umami. The plums used are “Koshi no ume” from the city of Joetsu, which has received a special agricultural designation from the city of Niigata.
It is a meeting of junmai sake “Arigatashi” – made entirely from Yamada nishiki premium sake rice – and Joetsu plums. In addition to its rich, deep flavour, its freshness and pleasant acidity are surprising. The palate is elegant, refined like a quality wine, as the low sugar content makes this umeshu more delicate.
Its refreshing acidity and fruity flavour make it ideal as an aperitif, leaving the palate available and stimulating the appetite. It should be drunk slightly chilled during the summer months.

Good to know: the plums used are “Koshi no ume” from the town of Joetsu, a variety that has received a special agricultural designation from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture. In order to get the best of their flavours, the ripest plums are carefully selected during the macerating process.

About the Yoshikawa Brewery

Yoshikawa is the largest sake rice production area in Niigata Prefecture. In the rice terraces that have been passed down for generations, the sake rice varieties “Gohyakumangoku” and “Yamada Nishiki” are grown. This is why this region, which is rich in brewing techniques handed down from ancient times, is also called the “home of the toji” (Toji no Sato). The region’s high schools are the only ones in Japan to have sake brewing as a subject. Graduates of this subject find employment in the many sake houses and are still active, carrying on the tradition of Yoshikawa sake making wherever they go.
In its heyday, the brewing town of Yoshikawa is said to have had as many as 27 sake houses in the Yoshikawa-cho district alone. In the summer, rice is grown, and in the winter the brewers stay in the breweries to produce the next year’s sake. This way of doing business is still in use today. The house is called “Yoshikawa – Toji no Sato” because it has inherited the skills of the master brewers who worked in the now defunct Yoshikawa sake houses. The sakes offered by the house are renowned for their umami and the visibility of local producers who are very keen on the quality of the rice used.