48°
Distillery : Akkeshi - Japan
Ex-Bourbon, Sherry, Red Wine Mizunara Casks
Original Bottling
Limited Edition
Blended Whisky
Bottled in 2022
Unchillfiltered
Lightly Peated
The Akkeshi distillery is located on the island of Hokkaido in northern
Japan. It started distilling in October 2016 through the impetus of its
creator Keiichi Toita, manager of a trading company named Kenten
Jitsugyo. This new Blended Whisky, released in August 2022, is the 8th
part of a wide range of 24 bottles, "24 Solar Termes Series", which is
inspired by the 24 solar seasons in Japanese tradition. The season referred by this bottling is the hottest time of the year, between late
July and early August, "The
Peak of Summer" being the subtitle of the bottle. 10,000 copies were produced, and flooded the
world. The maturation has been partly done in Mizunara oak casks,
or Quercus Crispula, very rare and expensive. The peat comes from the
site of the distillery itself, its influence is slight, around 10 ppm or so, in my
humble opinion. The age of the beast must be around 4 years old.
Let's Taste It :
Lemony pulp, but light, a peaty shade, nice balance, I bite a grapefruit, then comes the grain influence, crushed corn, nice
sweet roundness, like a drop of molasses, liquid caramel, honey and
nuts. Minerality in the background, sandstone or slate. On the palate,
beautiful syrupy consistency, citrus fruits return, well managed
spices, fondant with lemon, blood orange and icing sugar, chalky hints. Successful, long and pastry finish,
gingerbread, white grapes, puffed rice. A drop of lemon.
In Short,
Despite its young age, it's impressively mature. It's pleasant
and subtle, but the lemon dominates, with a sweet saline minerality. Overall, I found it successful,
even exceptional for a simple Blend, but the price, on the other hand,
is crazy. Crafting costs in Japan are much higher than in
Scotland, and do not allow this product to be competitive, unfortunately.
Score : 87
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Nickel Creek - Strangers
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