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Reviews of Everything Nice

Scarlet Menta Amaro, ISEYA Distillery

 

And we've got with us another classic Scarlet Amaro cuvee from Japan's Iseya!

Now if you haven't yet familiarised yourself with Iseya, here's a brief introduction.

Iseya Distillery, based in a 100-year old traditional house in Japan's Obara, in the Kanagawa Prefecture, was established by former bartender Tatsuya Motonaga. Motonaga had served as a bartender in some of Japan's most established bars, from Bar Caol Ila to Bar Benfiddich. Eventually a trip to Europe convinced Motonaga that he ought to bring bitters and amaro making to Japan.

Making such liqueurs is not easy in the slightest, with each requiring a careful calibration of at least 50 ingredients that have to be blended together harmoniously, with each botanical harvested at its own peak of season and treated in a particular manner that coaxes out the desired flavours. It's an incredibly complex process and that's why Motonaga's Iseya has been steadily winning fans all over!

 

 

In his 100-year-old traditional Japanese house, Motonaga conducts the thoughtful work of planning the botanicals he requires and then planting and harvesting them on his own, or with the help of local farmers. He's named the brand Scarlet for the deep reddish hue his bitters take from the colour pigment that was once derived from rare cochineal beetles - a pigment that was once so highly prized in the ancient world that wars were fought over it, as it enabled artists and textile makers to produce vibrant carmine tones.

| Read: One Man Is Introducing Japan To Its Own Bitters - Iseya Distillery

 

Tatsuya Motonaga.

 

Motonaga careful harvests and prepares each ingredient, steeping them in local Japanese vodka, before then ageing them in whisky barrels sourced from local Japanese whisky makers. The work is incredibly manual and taxing, and thus each month, a little over 1,000 bottles of his liqueurs are produced, making them highly sought after!

Since its establishment in 2020, the distillery has now produced a range of liqueurs, with multiple versions of its Amaro, as well as continues to produce its flagship Scarlet Bitter.

This time we've got the Menta Amaro that is said to be inspired by medicinal health liqueurs, and has been finished with a botanical recipe that makes use of a particular fermentation of various straws and herbs. It's a mint-focused blend, and so even with 30 botanicals used that includes sage, lemon balm, fennel, rhubarb, pine leaves, mulberry leaves, dandelion roots, rice brand, sorrel and wormwood; 4 additional varietals of mints are used here, that includes peppermint, spearmint, apple mint and Hakka. 

PS. Shoutout to Bar Madame in Singapore for stocking up on this incredible liqueur - if you're a liqueur fan / if you're not (yet) into liqueurs, you have to try this and find out what the fuss is all about - don't take it from us, try it yourself!  

Amaro Review: Scarlet Menta Amaro, ISEYA Distillery

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Dark Green

Aroma: Big minty almost herbal toothpaste quality. Equally big aromatic hit of black pepper at the back and around the outline, whilst digging towards the base, it’s more on cola syrup, black liquorice and licorice sticks. More on juniper too. With time, some spiciness of ginger and angelica emerges, with still a big mentholated spicy herbaceousness.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, lots of richness with those brown sugars forming the body. There’s still a whole lot of mentholated quality going on too. It’s very approachable and rounded. It leans sweeter and not as spicy, and yet is really vibrant and forward. It’s really intense with that minty-ness.

Finish: More on black pepper, black licorice, cola syrup, really nice clean, minty finish. Light sweetness lingers though not cloying, with alittle bit more spiciness at the finish. More of that earthiness of licorice too.

 

My Thoughts

If anyone’s looking for a Green Chartreuse replacement - look no further. This has that same minty herbal toothpaste quality, led by juniper and liquorice sticks, with a core of cola syrup and brown sugar. That said, I find this more mellow and more rounded, with less punchiness, yet still keeping the flavour intensity checked. It’s incredibly vibrant and forward, yet remains approachable and rounded. This went perfect in a Highball too!

   

Kanpai!

  

 

@111hotpot