We've now known for almost a year now that Kanosuke is firing on all cylinders to expand the range of whisky styles it's able to produce, giving the distillery a wide array of whiskies to use in all manners of blends and single distillery expressions - after all variety is the name of the game!

However, unlike what was done with Kanosuke Distillery's early releases where we got a taste of several limited edition selections first before we finally got a flagship Kanosuke single malt, this time Kanosuke is doing the reverse with its Hioki Distillery - we got a taste of the flagship Hioki Pot Still whisky first and then we're only now getting into the limited edition game! 

Hioki Distillery. (IMage Source: JWRC)

And so from Kanosuke's Hioki Distillery, we've got an exciting brand new Hioki Pot Still Japanese Whisky 2024 Limited Edition!

You'll recall that the Hioki Distillery actually pre-dates the Kanosuke Distillery, and was the place where Kanosuke's parent, Komasa Jyozo, had traditionally produced the company's famous shochu Mellowed Kozuru. Nevertheless, with the immense popularity of Japanese whiskies, and namely Kanosuke, some of the Hioki Distillery has since been augmented so that it too is able to produce its own whiskies just down the road from Kanosuke Distillery. But Kanosuke is no slouch! The Hioki Distillery has a rather unique set up, where it aims to produce a single pot still whisky where it makes use of both unmalted and malted barley to produce its whiskies - which is more similar to the Irish style of whiskeymaking.

And hence the new Hioki Pot Still 2024 Limited Edition will be produced using both malted and unmalted barley, distilled in a single pot still, and is a vatting of whiskies aged in new American white oak barrels, Bourbon barrels, and Re-charred Shochu barrels. This expression has been aged onsite at the Kanosuke Distillery.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Amber

Aroma: Creme Brulee, Fresh Oak, Apricot, Green Plum.

Taste: Vanilla, Caramel Sauce, Charred Oak, Cocoa, Matcha.

Finish: Oily, Rich and Mild Bittersweet.

Thew new Kanosuke Hioki Pot Still 2024 Limited Edition is bottled at 55% ABV, and priced at 16,500 Yen (US$115), and is due to be released in mid-October 2024.