Have you ever heard of umeshu made with tequila as its base spirit? No? That’s not surprising—because it simply didn’t exist until the appearance of Tetsuo Kageda.

Tetsuo Kageda is Japan’s very first “Tequilero”—a certified tequila distiller—whose story was even featured on the Japanese TV show “Crazy Journey.” After spending over a decade as a bartender, his fascination with tequila grew stronger. At the age of 36, he decided to drop everything and head to Mexico to apprentice. After months of visiting distilleries, he finally landed an opportunity to work at CASCAHUIN, a family-run distillery founded in 1904 in west-central Mexico, famous for producing 100% agave, premium sipping tequilas.

Kageda’s passion and connections enabled a groundbreaking collaboration—the world’s first Japanese umeshu made using authentic Mexican tequila as its base!

The product, named CIRCUELA (Spanish for “plum”), is made with tequila provided by CASCAHUIN and crafted by Sei Shuzo in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.

Sei Shuzo created three versions with different aging periods and strengths. The Blue Label is aged for one year and bottled at cask strength (23% ABV). The aroma combines minerals and almond, with hints reminiscent of mint and chocolate. On the palate, it shares the sweet-sour plum and almond flavors of the Red Label, but the higher strength gives it more power, a deeper, and longer finish.