With its four distinct seasons, Japan's climate is ideally suited to the cultivation of ume, and as such the fruit has been a vital part of daily life for the Japanese since ancient times, used and enjoyed in a myriad of ways.

Umeshu, made by steeping ume fruit in spirit, is one of these ways. Umeshu has been made and enjoyed by many families over the centuries, as a reviving tonic that kept well over long periods.