Meiri Sake Brewery was formerly known as Kato Sake Brewery, founded in the Ansei era of the Edo period, and has been brewing sake for over 160 years since the founder, who traveled all over Japan to brew sake, settled down in the present location where the best water springs up. As a professional sake brewer, he started brewing ume (plum) wine, which was popular as a home brew at the time, very early on because Kairakuen Garden, one of the three gardens in Japan, was located nearby. In addition to product creation, we have promoted the deliciousness of ume-shu through workshops and other activities, and have constantly and tirelessly pursued the possibilities of ume-shu. These activities have been carried over to the present day through the “Umeshu (plum wine) making experience” offered at the Besshunkan direct sales store.
We have borrowed whisky barrels from the Chichibu Distillery, with which we have had a close relationship for many years, and have begun barrel aging Hyakunen Umeshu, which has the title of the best plum wine in Japan.
The original Hyakunen Umeshu is aged for 12 months. Finally, we added selected malt whiskey base sake to express the vanilla aroma derived from the whiskey barrels and the complex and profound sweetness. This is the first in a series of explorations into the possibilities of plum wine and whisky casks.
In 1998, “Hyakunen Umeshu” was created based on the concept of “Umeshu that will be loved for 100 years. It is characterized by a profound taste with a long aging period and is made using Meiri Sake’s blending and mixing techniques. It was selected as the best plum wine in Japan from 124 brands nationwide at the 2nd Tenma Tenjin Plum Wine Competition. It has received numerous awards since then and is highly favored by many customers in Japan and abroad.
At “BAR SHINKAI,” one glass of 45ml is priced at 1,320 yen.
For a full list of BARShinkai’s whisky menu, click here.
