Plum Liqueur From Japan's Ume Country, Mellowed Over Charcoal

Umeshu is Japan's plum liqueur, and Wakayama is where the best of it begins, the prefecture that grows the country's finest ume and is also the home of Kishu binchotan charcoal. Ozaki Shuzo, one of Wakayama's oldest breweries, brings the two together: a rich, rounded umeshu filtered over binchotan, which smooths and clarifies it into something cleaner and more refined than the syrupy norm. It took Platinum in the plum-wine category at the 2023 Kura Master awards. The 720ml bottle suits a drinks list or an after-dinner pour.

梅酒 — Umeshu, and why Wakayama

Umeshu (梅酒) is made by steeping ume, the Japanese plum, in spirit with sugar, which draws out a sweet-tart fruit flavour with a characteristic almond note from the stones. Wakayama, the old province of Kishu on the Kii peninsula, is the centre of it all: the Nanko ume grown there is regarded as Japan's finest plum, and the same region is the home of Kishu binchotan, the dense white charcoal prized for grilling and for filtering. Ozaki Shuzo, founded in 1869, draws on both, finishing this umeshu over binchotan so the charcoal strips away the heavier, cloying edge and leaves a cleaner, more elegant drink. It is a local pairing of plum and charcoal that only Wakayama could really make.

For a different style or a larger bottle, the Hakutsuru Kishu Umeshu is another Wakayama option.

What does umeshu taste like?

Sweet and tart at once, with the flavour of ripe plum and apricot and a faint almond note that comes from the fruit's stone. A typical umeshu can be quite syrupy; this one is rounder and cleaner, the charcoal filtering taking the edge off the sweetness so the fruit and acidity come through more clearly. Served cold over ice it is bright and refreshing; neat it is fuller and more liqueur-like. It is approachable for anyone, including drinkers who do not usually reach for sake, which is part of why umeshu travels so well onto a Western drinks list.

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