Iseya Distillery Scarlet Aperitivo (700ml)

• Bitter aperitivo liqueur produced by Iseya Distillery in Sagamihara, Japan
• Made with 25 estate-grown and locally sourced botanicals featuring lemon balm, golden berry sprouts, sage, angelica root, licorice, cinnamon, jasmine flowers, and blood orange peel
• Botanicals are macerated in neutral sugarcane spirit
• Rested in stainless steel tanks before bottling
• A gently mentholated nose of gentian, lemon verbena, rose petal, myrrh, and notes of fruit-forward espresso precedes an earthy, velvety textured palate bursting with red fruit, white pepper, aloe, and orange peel with clove, sandalwood, and prickly ash on a drying finish
• Naturally colored using cochineal insect dye
• 28% ABV

Taking inspiration from the Italian red bitters of the 1970s, Scarlet Aperitivo is instantly recognizable as a classic red bitter but stands firmly on its own with a unique botanical backbone that includes many estate-grown botanicals including the wormwood and yomogi (mugwort) that are used as bittering agents. By utilizing local ingredients, even the familiar feels novel; founder Tatsuya Motonaga notes that the Japanese-grown botanicals have vastly different flavor profiles than those grown in Europe, thus highlighting local terroir and seasonality.