How it is made

Macerating botanicals separately to build layers

Its character comes from the way the main ingredient meets the base spirit. Two choices are central to the result.

Three to four macerations by ingredient

Ingredients are extracted separately so each keeps its own aromatic definition.

Blending the individual extracts

The extracts are composed so aroma, sweetness and bitterness unfold in sequence.

The result

Layered aromatics inspired by autumn

Sweet-tart red shiso and raspberry move through lavender into a roasted, bitter finish of hojicha and wormwood.

Taste profile

Autumn herbs, fruit and measured bitterness

Sweet-tart red shiso and raspberry move through lavender into a roasted, bitter finish of hojicha and wormwood.

Food affinities

Where an autumn-toned layering meets the table

The food affinities below for WAKA Minori are not pairings the distillery has stated officially — they are a reading of the characteristics recorded on this page. Four directions are built around the autumn-toned layering that runs from red shiso and raspberry’s sweet-tartness through lavender and hojicha to wormwood’s toasty, bitter finish.

Shiso and raspberry’s sweet-tartness meeting nuts and dairyA raspberry and dark chocolate mousse, a green mango salad (yum mamuang), and walnut tofu (kurumi-dofu). The sweet-tartness of red shiso and raspberry meets the richness of nuts and dairy, balancing acid and fat evenly.

Lavender’s aroma answering roasted duck or lambRoast lamb with lavender herbs, grilled goat (pae yang), and duck nanban soba. Lavender’s floral aroma answers the roasted, fatty red meat of duck or lamb, adding depth to the aroma.

Hojicha’s toastiness meeting seared or open-flame dishesRotisserie chicken, grilled beef with jaew dipping sauce (neua yang jim jaew), and glazed yakitori. Hojicha’s toastiness belongs to the same family as the char from searing or open-flame grilling, and layering the two extends how long the aroma lingers.

Wormwood’s toasty bitterness sitting beside a bitter closing dishGrilled radicchio with gorgonzola, stir-fried bitter melon with egg (mara pad khai), and Okinawan bitter-melon stir-fry (goya champuru). Wormwood’s toasty bitterness sits in the same register as bitter vegetable dishes, continuing naturally as a closing course.

This pairing rationale draws on the following reference books: Food Pairing Encyclopedia notes that raspberry resonates with dark chocolate, almond, and other nuts, and its pear entry records that lavender flowers pair well with duck. The Science of Food Pairing explains that roasted, toasty aromas connect with the sweet aroma of fruit, adding complexity to a meal. Under the five-taste theory in Logical Pairing, bitterness works by contrast against fat or umami — matching the structure here, where wormwood’s toasty bitterness sits beside bitter vegetable dishes.

Pairing guide — Umeshu

The producer

Kanegasaki Herb Liqueur Distillery in Kanegasaki, Iwate

Kanegasaki Herb Liqueur Distillery is based in Kanegasaki, Iwate. For this liqueur, it brings ingredient selection and established production craft together in a distinctly Japanese expression.

Official producer website

WAKA MINORI Japanese Aperitif