The Plum You Can Drink: Aragoshi Umeshu's Luscious Secret ON SALE NOW!

For generations, umeshu, the beloved Japanese plum liqueur, has charmed palates with its sweet and tart complexity. But at the venerable Umenoyado Brewery, a quiet frustration simmered beneath the surface of their traditional brewing.

The Fruitful Dilemma

After each batch of their exquisite umeshu, a treasure trove of perfectly steeped, intensely flavorful plums remained. To simply discard these edible gems, still bursting with potential, felt like a betrayal of the fruit itself. It was a nagging thought, a sense of waste that sparked a quiet revolution within the brewery, whose history stretches back to 1893.

This wasn't just about saving plums; it was about a deep respect for the ingredient. The brewers began to ponder: what if these leftover plums weren't an endpoint, but a new beginning?

A Vision: More Than Just a Drink

What if they could create an umeshu so rich, so full of fruit, that it was less like drinking a liqueur and more like savoring the plum in its entirety?

The vision began to take shape. The name itself, Aragoshi, meaning "roughly filtered," offered a clue to their innovative approach. Instead of striving for crystal clarity, they embraced the very essence of the fruit.

Crafting the Revolution: The 'Roughly Filtered' Method

Their quest led them to meticulously select Japan’s finest plum varieties – the prized Shirokaga and Oushuku – renowned for their ideal balance for umeshu. But the true magic lay in what happened after the initial steeping.

Umenoyado developed a unique, painstaking process. The very plums that once faced an uncertain fate were now transformed. They were carefully processed into a luscious, special paste, capturing their concentrated flavor and velvety texture. This precious fruit essence was then artfully blended back into the umeshu.

The base liqueur itself remained a commitment to purity – just high-quality plums, premium sake, brewing alcohol, and a touch of sugar. There were no distracting notes of honey or brandy; the star was, and always would be, the unadulterated soul of the plum.

An Unforgettable Encounter: Tasting Aragoshi

The result was more than just a new product; it was a new experience.

Pouring a glass of Aragoshi Umeshu reveals its distinctive character immediately. It’s beautifully opaque, thick with visible, succulent fruit particles that cling appealingly to the glass. The aroma is an intoxicating burst of ripe plum, a fragrant promise of the orchard.

But the true revelation is in the tasting. The first sip of Aragoshi Umeshu is unlike any other. A luxurious, almost nectar-like texture envelops the palate, a direct consequence of those carefully integrated plum solids. This is followed by an explosion of rich, complex plum flavor – a perfect harmony of sweetness, a refreshing tartness, a subtle zest, and a whisper of natural astringency.

It’s a drink that demands to be savored, each mouthful a reminder of the brewery's dedication to capturing the very essence of the fruit.