Bermutto Dry Vermouth uses yomogi, a Japanese mugwort, as its primary bittering agent in addition to the Japanese citrus fruits yuzu and kabosu, and sansho peppercorn, a citrusy peppercorn which produces a mouth-numbing effect. The nose is fruity and yeasty with notes of grapefruit, peach, guava, lavender, and plum. On the palate, the sake base is immediately evident with bass notes of rice, yeast, and faint plum. Yuzu and sansho peppercorn brighten things up, while an undercurrent of yomogi provides earthy grapefruit from beginning to end.
Produced at the legendary Tsutsumi Shuzo, which has been producing shochu in the Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan, for nearly 150 years, Oka Kura Bermutto is an aromatized sake fortified with shochu. Bermutto, a Japanese phonetic spelling of vermouth, is a uniquely Japanese interpretation of the classic fortified wine.
The parallels are obvious- both begin with a low- proof, fermented alcoholic beverage which is then bittered with wormwood, flavored with citrus and herbs, and finally fortified with a distillate. But while vermouth is built around a base of wine and typically fortified with a neutral distillate, Oka Kura Bermutto is made from Junmai sake and fortified with 100% rice shochu.
