Japanese whisky starlet Kanosuke Distillery has been the talk of the town for the past year, enjoying much praise for its whiskies that carry big, bold flavours that could easily be mistaken for being much older (really the only instance you want that to happen).

And now they're giving fans something new to rave over - an all new Hioki Pot Still Whisky!

The distillery has made it no secret that exciting things are happening over at their Hioki Distillery, which its parent Komasa Jyozo has traditionally used to produce Shochu and then more recently Gin, but since its whisky-making efforts began, have also had whisky producing capabilities added to the distillery.

(Image Source: Hioki Distillery)

While it has been largely anticipated that the Hioki Distillery would play a huge role in equipping Kanosuke with much desired grain whisky producing bandwidth, it also takes on some more unique features with its setup. As Nomunication mentions, Hioki's horizontal pot stills are shaped to spread surface area of the distillation of the wash, reduce distance between wash and the heating elements, and also allow for more flexibility for heating and to additional agitate aggressively the wash - this runs counter to the traditional use of continuous stills typically applied to grain whiskies.

| EDIT: Notable Japanese whisky observer Stefan van Eycken has clarified that while pot stills are indeed used to make Hioki's grain whiskies, it is not the horizontal pot stills specifically that are used. Stefan has mentioned that more details will follow in a future article - so keep a watch out!

That all sounds intriguing and would be certainly of interest to fans as to how that might influence the whisky produced - and now we just might have an answer.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour

Deep Tortoiseshell

Aroma

Butter Biscuits, Kabosu Citrus, Apricot, Plum Compote

Taste
Madeleines, Oaky, Moderately Salty, Marmalade, Satsuma Mandarin Oranges

Finish

Vanilla, Candied Ginger, Long Lasting Gentle Sweetness 

The new Kanosuke Hioki Pot Still Whisky (notice how the "Malt" has been dropped from the label, and yet "Grain" isn't overtly mentioned?) seems to imply that a mashbill aside from barley has been used in its production. Nonetheless we know that it has been aged in a combination of American White Oak barrels and ex-Bourbon Barrels.

It is bottled at 51% ABV, and is available for 12,100 Yen or (US$80.80). 

The new Kanosuke Hioki Pot Still Japanese Whisky will be made available from 1 December 2023.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Team