By YOSHIHIRO OGINO/ Staff Writer
December 22, 2023 at 07:00 JST
TAKAYAMA, Gifu Prefecture—A roof-repairing tile maker here reached new heights shortly after dabbling in alcoholic beverages.
Mori Kawaraten’s lemon liqueur and “umeshu” plum wine won gold and silver awards, respectively, at the Liqueur Masters competition held in Britain in mid-October.
The company obtained a brewing license only last year as a way to secure steady income during winter, when its workload decreases due to snowfall.
Its wine-producing Hida Craft department released Hida Craft Limoncello and Umeshu Den from spring this year and submitted the two products to the competition.
Judges and other experts in the industry sampled about 200 liqueurs from around the world in blind taste tests.
Although limoncello is an Italian liqueur, the Hida Craft Limoncello is made with lemons grown in Japan to achieve a harmony of slight bitterness and sweetness, Mori Kawaraten said.
“I was worried whether the liqueur made to suit Japanese tastes would be appreciated in a European country, but we’re so happy to receive the prestigious awards,” said President Takanori Mori. “We want to keep making new products to live up to the recognition.”
The tile maker insisted on using fruit and water from the Hida region to make the plum wine, which is based on a recipe created by a long-established “ryotei” Japanese restaurant in Takayama.
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Takanori Mori, president of tile maker Mori Kawaraten based in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, holds a bottle of Hida Craft Limoncello that won the gold award at the Liqueur Masters competition in Britain in October. (Provided by Mori Kawaraten)
