NV Oka Kura Japanese Sweet Bermutto Sake Vermouth (Red)

From: Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, JapanIngredients: Junmai sake base, fortified with 100% rice-based shochu and infused with botanicals including yomogi (Japanese mugwort), yuzu (aromatic citrus), kabosu (a high-acid citrus fruit), sansho peppercorn, and ume (Japanese green plum). Sweetened with kokuto (Okinawan raw cane sugar). Tasting Notes: Building upon a rebalancing of the four base botanicals of the drier, flagship Bermutto, OKA Sweet Bermutto incorporates a powerful fifth ingredient: a bitter Japanese plum called ume. Ume’s tart astringency is right at home in this bitter botanical blend and is perfectly complemented and balanced by raw cane sugar from Okinawa. Aromas of stewed cherry, orange peel, brown sugar, and wood spice; the palate is bright and acidic with the kabosu and yomogi notably dialed up, lending notes of black tea, tart cherry, and citrus zest; the ume is prominent throughout, providing subtle marzipan and oxidized fruit notes similar to umeshu (Japanese plum li