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 blended whisky from Eigashima in Hyogo, sold under the Akashi name. Bottled at 40%, no age statement. The distinguishing feature is the wood: American white oak casks that previously held shochu, followed by a finishing period in sherry and bourbon casks.
Where it comes from
Eigashima received one of Japan's earliest whisky licences in 1919 and has been distilling on and off since, though it only released a single malt in 2007. The blends are less clear cut. Eigashima doesn't publish component breakdowns and has drawn on whisky it didn't distil.
There's also a known quirk worth flagging: the basic White Oak bottling sold in Japan has been made using malt whisky and molasses spirit, which would not qualify as whisky in the EU, while the export version uses malt and grain. That tells you how loosely this part of the range has been constructed historically. We haven't found a producer statement putting Blue Label against the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association standard.
How it's made
Shochu casks are the interesting part. Japanese shochu leaves very different residues in oak to wine or sherry, and the result tends toward a dry, savoury, faintly earthy character rather than sweetness. Sources disagree on the timings, with the producer describing roughly two years in shochu wood before finishing and some retailers claiming five, so treat the specifics as unsettled.
What to expect
Orange peel, honey and white pepper, then cinnamon, citrus and toasted oak with dried apricot, finishing spicy and sweet. More going on than most 40% blends at this price.
How it compares
Against Akashi Tokinoka, the other Eigashima blend at this level, Blue Label has more cask work behind it. Against the Akashi single malts, those are distilled on site and specified clearly.
