The Choya Single Year is an umeshu of the highest quality, made from Kishu Minami Taka-ume – a fruit reminiscent of apricot – and fortified with sugarcane spirit. With Single Year we approach the top of Choya’s product range. It is aged for a minimum of 1 year and is fresh, complex and full of notes of honey, citrus and stone fruit.
Colour: Golden.
Aroma: Notes of honeydew melon, apple and orange peel.
Tasting notes: Smooth and complex. Fresh citrus notes, apricot and honey.
Serving suggestion: Enjoy slightly chilled. Can also be used in cocktails.
Located in Habikino, Osaka, Choya is the world’s largest (and, in the opinion of many, the best) producer of umeshu. And what is that? Yes, umeshu is a Japanese liqueur made from the ume fruit, which belongs to the same family as plums and apricots, but has a significantly higher acid content. Choya makes many different kinds of umeshu, some completely traditional and others more innovative – but what they all have in common is that no artificial additives are ever used – neither coloring nor flavouring.
The flavor of a good umeshu comes not only from the fruit’s flesh and skin, but also from the core. Out of the hundreds of ume varieties that exist in Japan, Choya has chosen to work with only four, of which Nanko-ume from Wakayama in particular is particularly sought after, among other things, because of its high acidity.
