Prices
Prices and stock come from each retailer's website. Check with the store before you buy.
More from this distillery: All Akashi (Eigashima) whiskies and prices
About
What it is
A five year old single malt from Eigashima, the Hyogo distillery that trades under the White Oak name and sells its whisky as Akashi. Matured entirely in bourbon casks, bottled at 50%, no colour added and not chill filtered.
Where it comes from
Eigashima holds one of the oldest whisky licences in Japan, granted in 1919, four years before Yamazaki was built. It didn't release a single malt until 2007. The malted barley is imported from Scotland, which is worth explaining rather than skipping: the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association standard sets rules about where distillation, maturation and bottling happen and requires Japanese water, but it doesn't require Japanese barley. Imported malt is normal across the industry, Scotland included.
Eigashima also bottles blends that do contain imported whisky, so compliance can't be assumed across the brand. We haven't found a producer statement confirming the standard for this specific bottling.
How it's made
The distillery is small and runs whisky production for only a short window each year, with sake and shochu taking up the rest of the calendar. The malt is lightly peated. This release sits entirely in ex-bourbon wood for five years, which for Akashi is unusually straightforward, since most of the range plays with sherry, wine, sake or shochu casks.
What to expect
Bourbon casks and 50% do what you'd expect. Vanilla, caramel and baked orchard fruit up front, then pepper and a thin line of smoke through the finish. It's a punchy, slightly rough young malt and it doesn't try to hide that. A few drops of water open it up.
How it compares
The Akashi single malt range is effectively one spirit through different wood, so the sherry, sake and wine cask versions at the same age are direct comparisons and will taste very different. This is the cleanest look at the distillery character. Against the standard Akashi White Oak Single Malt at 46%, this is stronger, younger and more clearly specified.
