Prices
Prices and stock come from each retailer's website. Check with the store before you buy.
More from this distillery: All Togouchi and Sakurao whiskies and prices
About
What it is
A single malt from Sakurao Distillery in Hiroshima, matured in casks that previously held Sauternes, the sweet white wine from Bordeaux. Bottled at 50%. Part of the cask series the distillery has been releasing since its first single malt in 2021.
Where it comes from
Sakurao Brewery and Distillery was founded as Chugoku Jozo in 1918 and made whisky from 1938 until 1989, when it stopped. It came back in 2003 with Togouchi, a blend built on imported Scottish malt and Canadian grain, matured in a disused railway tunnel. In 2018, to mark its centenary, it opened Sakurao Distillery and started distilling again. The Sakurao single malts are entirely its own spirit, distilled, matured and bottled in Japan, and the first release was explicitly labelled Japanese Whisky to signal compliance with the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association standard.
That history is the reason to read the label carefully on anything from this company. The Sakurao name means their own whisky. The old Togouchi blends did not.
How it's made
The distillery sits at Hatsukaichi on the Seto Inland Sea, opposite Miyajima. Cold winds come off the Chugoku mountains to the north and warm humid air off the sea to the south, and that swing drives maturation hard. Master distiller Taihei Yamamoto runs both a pot still and a hybrid pot-and-column setup. Sakurao-branded whisky matures by the sea, while Togouchi-branded stock goes to the mountain tunnel.
What to expect
Sauternes casks push honey, apricot and candied citrus, over the coastal, faintly saline character the distillery is known for. At 50% it has grip, and there's usually a touch of smoke on the finish.
How it compares
Against the standard Sakurao Single Malt at 43%, this is stronger and sweeter. Against Togouchi Single Malt, that's the same distillate matured in the tunnel instead of by the sea, which is a genuinely interesting comparison.
