Akashi is a brand of whiskey produced by the Eigashima Sake Brewery, which produces a variety of alcoholic beverages including sake, wine, and brandy.

The name “Akashi” is derived from the city of Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, where the brand was born.

The company is also known as the brewer of “Kamitaka” sake, and also produces Western-style liquors such as “White Oak Whisky” blended whisky, “Charman Brandy” and “Charman Wine” .

Since around 2011, the company has also been focusing on overseas exports, and is particularly popular in France, with 90,000 bottles exported.

This cask series is a great value lineup that is cosmetically pleasing, accessible yet special.

The Bottle

A single malt whiskey made at a small distillery in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, overlooking the Seto Inland Sea.

It is stored for four years in oak casks in which sake was stored.

Bottled in non-chill-filtered, non-colored casks in order to preserve the original flavor of the malt.

This sake cask is made by filling a sake cask with whiskey and maturing it.
During the sake making process, lactic acid is added to protect the yeast and encourage its activity.

The lactic acid flavor is transferred to the whiskey in the aroma as the most important element of sake cask, making it an unusual flavor.

Appeared following 2018.

Our Take

This is a limited edition single cask product released for the 2019 Modern Malt Whisky Market (a whisky event held by Sanyo Bussan Corporation for professionals in the liquor industry since 2006).

It has been matured a year longer than the one released in 2018, which gives it more depth.

First and foremost, it’s interesting to note that it’s rare for whisky to be exhibited in one-year increments, so if possible, it would be interesting to compare how the whisky has changed between three and four years.

This may be a good opportunity to get a feel for Angel’s share in Japan.

(All Images Courtesy of JPWhisky.net)

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