Yuzu grows in the mountainous south of Japan, where the Pacific cools the nights and the sun does the daytime work. The fruit is picked by hand, as it has been for centuries, and pressed the same day. The rest is rice, water and a brewmaster's patience.
The expert's description
Kiyoko Yuzu Aperitif Japan 70 cl 10% is a Japanese Yuzu Aperitif made from hand-picked yuzu juice blended with Junmai Sake and bottled at 10%.
Behind the bottle sits a sake brewery in Kansai on the island of Honshū that has been brewing for more than a hundred years. The brewery's toji, its master brewer, is the one who balances the pure yuzu juice against the sake so the citrus acidity does not run away with everything. The Junmai Sake is brewed on Gohyakumangoku rice and Miyamizu water from Rokkō, the hard spring water the breweries of the Nada district are known for, and the source of the sake's crisp, lively aroma.
Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit somewhere between mandarin and lime, with a thick, knobbly skin and an aroma sharper and more floral than lemon. The juice in Kiyoko is pure, with no additives and no artificial flavourings. At 10% the bottle sits below ordinary sake and closer to a glass of wine, and it is built to be drunk cold before a meal rather than as a heavy liqueur after one.
Tasting notes
Nose
Freshly grated yuzu peel lands first, floral and sharp at once. Behind it comes a soft, faintly sweet note of steamed rice, and a trace of white flowers.
Palate
Tart and juicy, with the bitterness of the peel working against a mild sweetness. The sake sits underneath with a grainy, almost savoury weight that stops the fruit from turning syrupy.
Finish
Short to medium and very clean. The citrus peel dries the mouth slightly, and what stays behind is a fresh, lightly bitter note that asks for another sip.
Specifications
Name: Kiyoko Yuzu Aperitif Japan 70 cl 10%
Producer: Kiyoko
Region/Country: Kansai, Japan
Type: Japanese Yuzu Aperitif with Junmai Sake
ABV: 10%
Size: 70 CL
Serving suggestion: Cold as a Yuzu Spritz with 8 cl Kiyoko and 6 cl Prosecco, or as Yuzu and Tonic with 6 cl Kiyoko and 10 cl Tonic Water
Flavour profile
Citrus · Tart · Fresh · Floral · Light
Did you know?
Japan has a saying about how long fruit trees take to bear: three years for the peach and the chestnut, eight for the persimmon, while yuzu is the great fool that takes eighteen. The trees are slow, which is why the fruit has never been an everyday item outside Japan.
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