Yoichi Ringo-No-Osake (720 ml)

Kitaoka Honten has brewed in Yoshino-cho since 1868, when the seventh-generation head Sojuro consolidated four centuries of family commerce into sake production alone — a discipline that now extends to botanically-driven liqueurs using the same soft, low-iron mountain water drawn from Oku-Yoshino's deep forest streams. Yoichi Ringo-No-Osake ("Hokkaido Apple Sake") applies the brewery's botanical infusion method — the same technique used for its cherry blossom and red shiso expressions — to Hokkaido-grown apple, steeping fruit in alcohol with sugar syrup to preserve fresh orchard character rather than cooking it into a confected syrup. The Oku-Yoshino water base, characterised by its balanced mineral profile and exceptional softness, keeps the mouthfeel round without adding textural weight. What sets this expression apart within Kitaoka's liqueur range is its geographic transgression: a Nara sake house reaching north to Hokkaido's apple-growing belt, pairing the cold-climate fruit's natural tartness against the gentle mineral signature of Yoshino water. As an NV expression, it is intended for immediate enjoyment, with the apple profile at its most vivid when served well chilled.