Sakes Tell Their Own Story

Kimoto Umeshu Gokujohin

Yeast “I’m now going to visit Kimoto Umeshu Gokujohin, who is like an elegant lady. Do I look neat enough? Hello!”
Umeshu Gokujohin “Welcome, Yeast.”
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Yeast “As a plum liqueur, Gokujohin is something exceptional. How did you come into the world?”
Umeshu Gokujohin “Daishichi started developing me in 2008 by making the extraordinary decision of wanting to reach the very pinnacle of liqueur.”
Yeast “What? That was when Kimoto Umeshu, of which sales had only started a few years earlier, was winning one first prize after another. Why already start on something new?”
Umeshu Gokujohin “The success of Kimoto Umeshu spurred Daishichi on. Other companies started aiming for the level of Kimoto Umeshu, so Daishichi tried to reach even higher.”
Yeast “I see… How was your development?”
Umeshu Gokujohin “It would of course simply have been possible to make a more delicious plum liqueur by using plums and sake of higher quality, but that didn’t satisfy us.”
Yeast “Why?”
Umeshu Gokujohin “The new product would have been too much like Kimoto Umeshu. After all, Kimoto Umeshu already was the best balanced plum liqueur we could think of.”
Yeast “Yes, Kimoto Umeshu already has such a high level of perfection that there is nothing left to improve.”
Umeshu Gokujohin “So we realized we had to take another track and aim for a new kind of great taste – one that others had not yet thought about.”
Yeast “That sounds exciting!”
Umeshu Gokujohin “Such a new taste would be dependent on the essential character of the sake used. As Kimoto Umeshu made with Junmai Kimoto possesses a deep flavor, we aimed this time for purity by using a junmai daiginjo.”
Yeast “The sake you used must have been Minowamon.”
Umeshu Gokujohin “Yes, and the plums were Nanko plums from Wakayama Prefecture of size 4L, with a diameter of 45 millimeters. Besides, we used plums which had become reddish through sunlight, so-called red Nanko plums.”
Yeast “They have a greater fragrance, don’t they? And as the color of the plums is transferred to the sake, it becomes a beautiful rose color. Daishichi really is particular about using only the best ingredients.”
Umeshu Gokujohin “By harnessing the pure taste of Minowamon, we aimed for the most superb harmony.”
Yeast “Instead of just improving some incremental factors, you wanted to provide the pure taste of the very best plums and the very best sake.”
Umeshu Gokujohin “As the fruit of everyone’s labor, I was born in January 2010.”
Yeast “The simple design of your bottle, with a mysterious deep green as keynote, makes a very noble impression.”
Umeshu Gokujohin “Thank you. At my product launch, the famous sommelier Shinya Tasaki was present.”
Yeast “Within two weeks of that event, the 3,300 bottles that were produced in the first year, were already sold out. Unbelievable, an exceptional, super high-grade plum liqueur for the price of about 5,000 yen!”
Umeshu Gokujohin “When we heard customers who had tasted Umeshu Gokujohin say that they would never go back to ordinary plum liqueur, we knew that our pursuit had been successful.”
Yeast “One of your fans is a famous actress. And at the ‘Great Jizake Show’ you won the Platinum Prize in the Liqueur Section. Could you finally tell us how we should enjoy Umeshu Gokujohin?”
Umeshu Gokujohin “It’s best to drink me cold and straight. Either as aperitif, as dessert wine, or also during the meal. Mr Shinya Tasaki recommends as food combinations creamy cheeses, wild duck with orange sauce, or deep-tasting foie gras.”