Prices
Prices and stock come from each retailer's website. Check with the store before you buy.
More from this distillery: All Akkeshi whiskies and prices
About
What it is
Taisetsu is the ninth release in Akkeshi's Twenty Four Solar Terms series, out in December 2022. The name means great snowfall and refers to the micro season in early December when the days are shortest. A single malt, no age statement, bottled at 55% and not chill filtered.
Where it comes from
Akkeshi distillery sits on the eastern coast of Hokkaido, further east than any other distillery in Japan, and started distilling in 2016. It's a single malt distilled and matured entirely on site, so unlike the Akkeshi blended releases there's no imported component in play here. We haven't found a producer statement putting it formally against the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association standard, but nothing about the production suggests a problem with it.
How it's made
Akkeshi built itself on an Islay template: Forsyths pot stills, peated malt, coastal maturation. What makes it unusual is the peat. Akkeshi is one of the very few Japanese distilleries with access to local peat, cut from the marshland around it, and the Homakai River that supplies the water runs straight through that peat layer. It uses both imported and locally grown Hokkaido barley. The key malt in this release was matured in Hokkaido mizunara, with ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and ex-red wine casks filling out the rest.
What to expect
Smoke, but not Islay smoke. It reads as campfire and sandalwood rather than iodine, and the peat sits alongside a strong citrus character that Akkeshi is known for. Winter fruit, honey, Darjeeling tea and a salty, savoury finish. At 55% it takes water well.
How it compares
Against the Akkeshi blends like Taisho and Daikan, the single malts are the purer expression of the distillery and the ones without imported whisky in the mix. Against Yoichi, the other Hokkaido peated malt, Akkeshi is brighter and more citrus led where Yoichi is heavier and more maritime. Each release in the solar terms series is different, so these are collectors' bottles as much as drinkers' ones.
