WAKA HAJIME Japanese Aperitif
Iwate strawberry, sansho, chilli and green tea are layered to express winter through aroma and bitterness in a Japanese herbal aperitif made for slow sipping.
Thailand · Product information
Product information from Bacchus Global Co., Ltd., based in Bangkok, Thailand. About Bacchus Global
Japanese herbal liqueur
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.
Layered aromatics inspired by winter
Sweet-tart strawberry is followed by sansho tingle, chilli warmth and green-tea grip.
The story behind this bottle
Aya and Kenji discuss Iwate’s winter fields, the maker, botanicals and aroma of WAKA Hajime. English · about 3 minutes.
Question 1
Whom does the page identify as the maker of WAKA HAJIME?
- Kanegasaki Herb Liqueur Distillery in Iwate
- Akita Jozo in Akita
- Beniotome Shuzo in Fukuoka
Read the answer and explanation
Correct answer: A — Kanegasaki Herb Liqueur Distillery in Iwate
“The producer” names Kanegasaki Herb Liqueur Distillery in Kanegasaki, Iwate. Do not confuse it with the makers of other quiz products.
Question 2
How does the page describe handling the botanicals?
- Put everything into one vessel from the start with no separate extracts
- Extract ingredients separately, then blend their extracts
- Ferment a bottled spirit only inside a clay amphora
Read the answer and explanation
Correct answer: B — Extract ingredients separately, then blend their extracts
The botanicals are extracted separately and the extracts are blended to arrange aroma, sweetness and bitterness. The page does not state the number of days of maceration for each ingredient.
Question 3
Which description matches the page’s strawberry, sansho, chilli and green tea?
- Four names for rice varieties
- Four ingredients contributing only the same sweetness
- Sweet-tart, tingling, warm-spicy and astringent impressions layered in sequence
Read the answer and explanation
Correct answer: C — Sweet-tart, tingling, warm-spicy and astringent impressions layered in sequence
The page assigns different sensory roles to the four botanicals. Do not turn those descriptions into a health claim or a guaranteed bodily effect.
Winter herbs, fruit and measured bitterness
Sweet-tart strawberry is followed by sansho tingle, chilli warmth and green-tea grip.
Where a winter-toned layering meets the table
The food affinities below for WAKA Hajime 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 winter-toned layering of strawberry’s sweet-tartness, sansho’s tingle, chili heat, and green tea astringency.
This pairing rationale draws on the following reference books: Food Pairing Encyclopedia notes that strawberry resonates with tomato and cream cheese, and that chili resonates with beef and shiso leaf, citing chili and beef (chili con carne) as an example. The Science of Food Pairing explains that heat from spice extends how long an aroma lingers, helping a finish stay in memory. Under the five-taste theory in Logical Pairing, astringency has a contrasting or suppressing relationship with fat and sweetness — which matches how green tea’s astringency here cuts the oil of fried food.
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.
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