099 AWA BIWA

南房総のAMBESSAが管理している山で極めて自然な環境で栽培されたびわを使ったオー・ド・ヴィ。昨年は収穫のわずか2日前に猿に先を越され、全てを採られてしまったために二年越しのリベンジリリースです。

AMBESSAの山にはびわの大木が３本あって、奔放に伸びた木に鈴なりにびわの実がなっています。脚立も届かない上の方は木に上り、枝を揺らして落として数時間かけて100キロ弱のびわを収穫。小ぶりながら、ぐっと身が詰まった実です。穏やかなびわの香りもまとまれば強く、表面の産毛にはいかにもいい酵母が付いていそうで、何も加えなくても持ち帰った翌日には発酵がはじまりました。

今年は周辺でもびわが豊作で、苗目やいすみのびわも分けてもらって、4週間じっくり発酵させたあとに蒸留。びわの甘さをさらにスッキリさせたような広がりのある香りが立ち上ります。

蒸留が終わったあとのもろみの底には無数の種。一般的にびわ酒といえばびわの種を漬け込んだお酒のこと。それに習って、びわの種も6週間漬け込んだあとに蒸留。アーモンドのような香りのするこのスピリッツと混和。房州のびわのすべてを味わう、深さのあるオー・ド・ヴィです。

品目：ブランデー
原材料：びわ、びわの種、ライススピリッツ、水
アルコール度数：42%
容量：100ml / 500ml

Drawing : Ryota Nishimoto

This eau-de-vie is made from loquat grown in an extremely natural environment in the mountains managed by AMBESSA in Minamiboso. Last year, just two days before the harvest, the monkeys beat us to it and took all the loquat, so this is a revenge release over two years.

In the mountains of AMBESSA, there are three large loquat trees, and the loquat fruit is growing like bells on the wildly growing trees. At the top, where the stepladder can't reach, we climbed up the trees and spent several hours shaking the branches and dropping them to harvest a little less than 100 kilograms of loquat. The fruit is small, but very firm. The mild scent of loquat is strong when combined, and the hairs on the surface seem to have good yeast on them.

This year, there was a bumper crop of loquat in the area, and we were given some loquat from Naeme and Isumi to distill after four weeks of slow fermentation. After four weeks of slow fermentation, the loquat is distilled, and the sweetness of the loquat gives way to a clean, expansive aroma.

At the bottom of the mash after distillation, there are countless seeds. In general, loquat wine is made by soaking loquat seeds. The loquat seeds are also soaked for six weeks before being distilled. It is then mixed with this spirit, which has an almond-like aroma. This is a deep eau-de-vie that tastes of all things loquat from Boshu.

Item: Brandy
Ingredients: loquat, loquat seeds, rice spirits, water
Alcohol content: 42%.
Volume: 100ml / 500ml

Drawing : Ryota Nishimoto