Akashi-Tai Shiraume Ginjo Umeshu (Plum Infused Sake) 14% 50cl Bottle

Akashi-Tai Shiraume Ginjo Umeshu is a Japanese plum liqueur made by infusing ume plums into premium Ginjo sake. Umeshu is traditionally enjoyed as a dessert-style sake liqueur and is sweeter and more approachable than dry sake, making it an ideal introduction to Japanese sake-based drinks.

This elegant plum-flavoured sake liqueur is smooth, rounded and gently fruity, with balanced sweetness rather than heavy richness. Highly versatile, it can be enjoyed hot or cold and works beautifully as a dessert wine — particularly with festive treats such as mince pies. Akashi also produce a yuzu-infused sake.

Akashi-Tai Shiraume Ginjo Umeshu Production

Traditional Umeshu plum liqueur is made by steeping ume fruits (the plum fruits of Prunus mume, also known as Chinese Plum or Japanese Apricot) in alcohol and sugar. Shiraume Umeshu is made by preserving these plums in the finest of Ginjo Japanese sakes.

• Akashi-Tai Shiraume Ginjo Umeshu is made using premium ginjo sake crafted from Yamada Nishiki rice sourced from Hyogo Prefecture
• Plums are macerated for 6 months in the ginjo sake before being removed
• A small amount of sugar is added for sweetening
• This Japanese plum liqueur is not particularly sweet; significantly less sweet than a “sticky” dessert wine
• After the plums are removed, the Shiraume Umeshu is aged for an additional 2 years in enamel tanks before release

The use of higher grade Ginjo sake and ume plums result is a refined Japanese plum sake liqueur with gentle sweetness, soft acidity and a long, mellow finish.

Made By The Akashi Sake Brewery

The Akashi Sake Brewery began sake production in 1886 in the town of Akashi, which is one of the major fishing ports in western Japan. It is named Akashi after the town and Tai after the sea bream, called Tai in Japanese, for which the region is famous – it is the sea bream that adorns Akashi’s labels. The brewery also owns the Kaikyo Distillery, established in 2017, which produces Hatozaki Whisky and Hyogo 135 East Gin.

Traditional Sake Production Meets Modern Technology

Through the years, Akashi-Tai has modernised and expanded to sell a wide variety of products from premium sakes to varieties of distilled spirit shochu, but remains a small artisanal brewery or “kura”.

Akashi-Tai Sake is brewed using traditional equipment and methods, always by hand and in small batches, the way it has been for centuries. That is not to say that they do not embrace modern technology; fermentation is now temperature-controlled, for example.