scarlet iseya distillery
Iseya Distillery is the brainchild of Osaka born Tatsuya “Moto” Motonaga. A veteran bartender who held down positions at legendary Tokyo establishments like Bar Caol Ila and Bar Benfiddich, Moto san has always held a deep appreciation for amari, the bitters of Europe. After visiting some 70 distilleries across the country, Moto returned to Japan and built Iseya Distillery in a100 year old house that he renovated in Kanagawa Prefecture. The Distillery rents a neighboring farm that Moto uses to grow many of their herbs including mugwort and wormwood. Scarlet the first of its kind and is Iseya Distillery’s flagship brand that effectively has established a new spirits category in the form of Japanese Amari.
PRODUCTS
Scarlet Aperitivo 28.0% ABV
Taking inspiration from the classic Italian red bitters of the 1970’s, Scarlet Aperitivo is the first of its kind. A true Japanese Amari that is comprised of 25 distinct botanicals, many of which are grown by Tatsuya Motonaga at his farm in Kanagawa. All steps of the process to make this elixir are done hands on, in small batches, without automation. All the botanicals that Moto san farms himself are done completely free of pesticides, with little human intervention. Additionally, Scarlet Aperitivo is colored in the traditional way using a natural dye derived from Cochineal insects. This amari is bittersweet with a roundness and soft spice seldom seen in its European counterparts. It pairs especially well with espresso and soda, making for a fantastic pre or post meal drink. Regardless of how you enjoy it, Scarlet Aperitivo is undeniably delicious.
Scarlet Radice Amaro 30.0% ABV
Scarlet Radice Amaro leans into its base of more than 30 herbs and roots, many grown by Iseya Distillery on their plot of farmland. This exceptional amaro takes inspiration from the classic yellow, root-based bitters of the 1970’s and gives it a Japanese twist. It takes roughly 3 years to grow some of the proper roots needed for this amaro, and thus, is a labor of love for the Iseya Distillery. Bright and complex, the star botanicals of citrus peel, angelica root, wormwood, and black cumin really shine in this lovely sipping amaro. Enjoy it on the rocks or in a White Negroni, any way you drink it, this will surely become a staple in your bar cabinet.
Scarlet Cask Marriage Batch #6 29.0% ABV
Iseya Distillery’s Scarlet Cask Marriage Series sees their classic 25 herb rich Aperitivo aged in whisky barrels for up to a year. Batch #6 was rested in empty barrels from the legendary Chichibu Distillery in Saitama. A brilliant melding of flavors between the bittersweetness of the Aperitivo and the rich oak of Chichibu’s barrels. Incredibly limited and very quaffable.
Scarlet Cask Marriage Batch #7 30.0% ABV
Iseya Distillery’s Scarlet Cask Marriage Batch #7 utilizes ex-peated whisky barrels from Hiroshima’s Sakurao Distillery. For this batch, the base neutral spirit derived from sugar cane was aged in these barrels for about a year, and then infused with roughly 20 botanicals including fennel, wormwood, cinnamon, and blood orange peels. The result is a gently smokey amaro full of apricot, bitter chocolate, tobacco, and menthol. Scarlet Cask Marriage Batch #7 is a beautiful example of complex sophistication in a bitter.
SCARLET VERDE AMARO
KANAGAWA, JAPAN
A truly unique take on the category of amari (bitter liqueurs), Scarlet Verde Amaro bottles the essence of green herbs and bright citrus. Made with more than 40 herbs, many of which are grown without intervention at Iseya Distillery's farm including the wormwood that takes center stage in this expression. It is positively bursting with fresh green flavors that stir the senses, evoking feelings of strolling in a sunlit meadow amongst spring flowers and citrus trees. Serve it with a slight chill or stir it into any cocktail calling for a green herbal liqueur to see what magic you can conjure.
30% ABV
700 ML
JAPANESE AMARI
MORE THAN 40 HERBS INCLUDING: FENNEL, DANDELION, MARJORAM, SAGE, ANGELICA, LIQUORICE, CINNAMON, BLOOD ORANGE, BERGAMOT, WORMWOOD, AND MUGWORT
SCARLET ORANGE AMARO
KANAGAWA, JAPAN
A true expression of blood orange in the form of a bitter, Scarlet Orange Amaro contains not only the peels, but the juice of fruit as well. Motonaga san sources this citrus from a friend's farm in Ehime Prefecture, which has a warmer climate than Kanagawa. He, along with a team of 70 volunteers hand press the fresh citrus, which was then immediately transferred to stainless steel tanks so that none of its brightness was wasted. The blood orange peel is macerated in alcohol with over 20 other botanicals including ginger, lemon balm, and camellia flowers before being combined with its juice and bottled. Piercing aromatics of bitter blood orange peels display youthful nuance, balanced by the sweetness of honey and the gentle freshness of orchard fruit.
20% ABV
700 ML
JAPANESE AMARI
MORE THAN 25 HERBS AND SPICES INCLUDING: BLOOD ORANGE PEEL AND JUICE, LEMON BALM, BRAMBLE LEAVES, GINGER, CAMELIA FLOWERS, AND GINGER.
COLORED WITH COCHINEAL DYE. *NON-VEGAN*
SCARLET FERNET AMARO
KANAGAWA, JAPAN
Hailing from northern Italy, Fernet is widely considered an acquired taste as it is one of the most bitter herbal liqueurs in the world. Because the use of gentian is restricted in Japan, Iseya's Tatsuya Motonaga needed to get creative in order to approximate the level of bitterness he was striving for. As a result, he incorporated ingredients like chicory and aloe to give this fernet the bitter punch it needed. A delicate balance between umami and the moderate sweetness of honey is maintained by the blending of aged as well as unaged spirits in its base. About 15 of its over 30 botanicals are grown at Iseya Distillery's farm in Kanagawa and are macerated for alternating times before being rested in stainless steel for no less than 10 days. This fernet is truly a labor of Moto san's love for the category and offers a new interpretation of this classic amaro.
36% ABV
700 ML
JAPANESE AMARI
MORE THAN 30 HERBS INCLUDING: PALO SANTO, CHICORY, RASPBERRY FLOWER ELDERFLOWER, ALOE, GALANGAL, SORREL, CINNAMON, MINT, ROOIBOS, AND CINNAMON.
SCARLET MENTA AMARO
KANAGAWA, JAPAN
After the rainy season has ended, mint is harvested in the neighboring field to the Iseya Distillery to create this new take on a classic elixir. Scarlet Menta Amaro's most recent batch used about 150kg of various mint for a bottle run of about 2000. The mint is combined with anis hyssop, lavender, wormwood, and Japanese honeysuckle to create a liqueur whose bitterness is matched with its refreshing botanicals. Gentle and complex, Scarlet Menta Amaro is recommended served chilled, on the rocks, with a peel of grapefruit. Just the thing for a warm summer's night.
27% ABV
700 ML
JAPANESE AMARI
MORE THAN 30 HERBS INCLUDING: APPLE MINT, PEPPERMINT, BLACK PEPPERMINT, SPEARMINT, YERBA BUENA, FENNEL, WORMWOOD, JAPANESE HONEYSUCKLE, AND CORNFLOWER.