Single Malt Whiskey White Oak Akashi - Eigashima Shuzo
 
Akashi Whiskey is produced by the small White Oak distillery, which has its headquarters in Akashi, in the territory of Hyogo prefecture. It is a distillery founded at the beginning of the last century, which has managed to maintain an artisanal face and an almost obsessive care in production. The Akashi Single Malt is a vatted whiskey without age definition composed of single malts aged in different barrels, much of its charm is due to the refinement in oak barrels previously used for the aging of Sherry, which give the distillate persuasive softness and aromatic complexity. It is a Japanese whiskey of great expressive elegance and aromatic richness, confirmation of the high quality level now achieved by the spirits of the Land of the Rising Sun.
 
Type: Whisky
Origin: Japan
Alcohol content: 46%
Format: 70cl with box
 
Tasting Notes: Bright amber in colour, it gives a fine and elegant bouquet to the nose, with delicate aromas of apples, hints of chamomile, aromas of barley malt, dried fruit, soft sensations of sweet spices and noble woods. In the mouth it demonstrates a notable aromatic complexity, notes of dried fruit, followed by floral sensations, which become more persistent with the addition of water. Harmonious and persistent finish.

The Distillery: The location of the distillery is one of the most beautiful and unique in Japan, it is located in the small fishing village of Eigashima, a few steps from the sea and the Akashi Strait. The climate here is particularly mild, hot summers and warm winters with very little rain, White Oak, in addition to being one of the southernmost distilleries in Japan, is unique thanks to its location and climate. The White Oak, or rather the Eigashima Shuzo distillery (this is its real name) was founded in 1888 and acquired the license for the production of whiskey already in 1919, it was in fact the first distillery in Japan to have a license for this guy. On paper this would appear to be the oldest whiskey distillery in Japan, but in the land of the rising sun you can never take everything for granted when it has set up a couple of small stills (about forty years after the licence). The actual production of whiskey at Eigashima Shuzo began in the 1960s, when a pair of copper pot stills was installed. Initially the whiskey produced was used only for the house blends but at the beginning of the 1980s whiskey consumption in Japan increased dramatically reaching levels never seen before. This great demand led the distillery to retire the two small stills and build a new Scottish-style building with 2 larger, but used stills, dedicated exclusively to whiskey (White Oak). Even though with a dedicated building the production of whiskey remained part-time, consider that whiskey was only produced by the distillery between the months of June and July, for the rest of the year sake and shochu were produced. However, given the current high demand for Japanese whisky, production has moved to 4 months, from April to July as opposed to sake and shochu which have seen a decrease in production.