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Gaiaflow Corporation’s first single cask whisky, celebrating its 10th anniversary on January 17, 2022. Gaia Flow’s first foray into the whisky industry was as an authorized importer and distributor of Black Adder.

Black Adder Lowe Cask Shizuoka 2018 3 Year Old Cask No. 781 is made from 100% Scottish non-peat barley. It was distilled in a “K” distiller and aged for three years in bourbon barrels. Minimal filtering is used and the “Raw Cask” is bottled directly from the cask, including the lees.

The Bottle

Shizuoka Distillery uses two first distillation stills, K (a distillation still transferred from Karuizawa Distillery) and W (a wood-fired distillation still), to produce two types of sake with different characteristics.

Each pot still is characterized by the steam-heated K with its fruity aroma and light flavor, and the wood-fired W with its heavy flavor and long finish.

Blackadder Row Cask Shizuoka 2018 3 Year Cask No. 781 is made from 100% Scottish non-peat barley. It is distilled in a “K” distiller and aged for 3 years in bourbon barrels. It is bottled directly from the cask, including the lees, using the “row cask” method.

It has a smooth, rich sweetness that makes you wonder if it has really been aged for three years.

Our Take

Upon tasting, my first impression was “this is wonderful” . The aroma has no alcohol horniness to the extent that it is hard to believe it is a cask strength, and there is a rich sweetness reminiscent of floral honey, vanilla, and caramel. It has a wonderful silky and very smooth mouthfeel, and there is almost no burning sensation in the throat or esophagus after swallowing.

Pour it into a glass and let it sit for a while to open up further, revealing yellow peach and floral aromas and flavors of wine.

I was honestly surprised and impressed that such sweetness could be produced after 3 years of aging in bourbon barrels.

The lees that settle at the bottom of the bottle and dance in the air, characteristic of a wax cask, are also quite tasteful.

This is a very rare whisky with only 60 bottles sold in Japan, and it is a bottle with a very high degree of perfection. This is a bottle that you should definitely try.

(All Images Courtesy of JPWhisky.net)

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