Kunizakari Umeshu (500 ml)

The Nakano family established their kura in Handa City in 1844, and the decision to operate Kuni Zakari Farm — growing ume in-house rather than sourcing commercially — is the single fact that separates this umeshu from the category majority. The fruit

originates on the Chita Peninsula, a warm coastal strip averaging ~15.5°C annually, where maritime air moderates the growing season and the same abundant natural spring water that feeds the sake fermentation is drawn for liqueur production.

Production follows the traditional shirozake-base or neutral-spirit maceration method standard to umeshu; no wood aging is confirmed. The ume fruit steeps until the stone-fruit sugars and tartaric acids fully integrate, yielding a liqueur that leans on the natural acidity of the plum rather than added citric correction.

The house philosophy — engineering umami depth and clean finish over aromatic delicacy — carries directly into this expression: the sweetness is anchored by a firm acidic spine rather than left unchecked.

What is unusual here is vertical integration: from orchard soil to bottled liqueur, no third-party fruit supply chain intervenes — a rarity among industrial-scale Japanese umeshu producers. This 500 ml bottle is an entry point into a brewery whose flagship Gahoujin uses rice polished to 20% remaining, and that same obsessive sourcing logic applies here.