Single Malt Whisky White Oak Akashi Sherry Cask 5 Years Old - Eigashima Shuzo
The craftsmanship of the White Oak master distillers can all be found in a dram of Akashi Single Malt 5 Years Old. This single malt is aged only in an ex-sherry cask. The White Oak distillery, founded in 1888 by Eigashima Shuzo, produced classic sake until 1984 when it was expanded by adding whisky stills. The distillery's stills operate for only one month of the year so the amount of whisky produced is always very small.Akashi 5 Years Old is a lightly peated single malt matured for 2 years in European ex-sherry butt oak casks and for 3 years in a hogshead ex-sherry cask, finally bottled at 50% vol.
Type: Whisky
Origin: Japan
Alcoholic strength: 50%
Format: 70cl
Tasting Notes: Amber colour. Elegant and floral aroma with notes of caramel, honey, vanilla and red fruit. Slightly sweet flavour with notes of malt, apples, cherries, citrus and a hint of smoke. Short, warm finish with notes of cinnamon and light peat.
The Distillery: The location of the distillery is one of the most beautiful and special in Japan. It is located in the small fishing village of Eigashima, a short walk from the sea and the Akashi Strait. The climate here is particularly mild, with hot summers and warm winters with very little rain. White Oak, as well as being one of the southernmost distilleries in Japan, is thanks to its location and climate, unique. The White Oak, or rather the Eigashima Shuzo distillery (this is its real name) was founded in 1888 and acquired the licence to produce whisky as early as 1919, it was in fact the first distillery in Japan to have such a licence. On paper, this would appear to be the oldest whisky distillery in Japan, but in the land of the rising sun, one can never take everything for granted when it has set up a couple of small stills (some forty years after the licence). The actual production of whisky at Eigashima Shuzo began in the 1960s, when a pair of copper pot stills were installed. Initially, the whisky produced was only used for the house blends, but in the early 1980s, whisky consumption in Japan soared to unprecedented levels. This great demand led the distillery to retire the two small stills and build a new Scottish-style building with two larger, but used, stills dedicated exclusively to whisky (White Oak). Even with a dedicated building, whisky production still remained part-time, think that whisky 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, due to the current high demand for Japanese whisky, production has shifted to four months, from April to July as opposed to sake and shochu which have seen a decrease in production.
