Eigashima's White Oak Distillery has released a new bottle of young Japanese whisky dubbed "Single Malt Akashi Imo Sherry Cask."
In my opinion, imo is Japanese for potato. "Imo Sherry Cask" means that they aged this whisky in an ex-sherry cask that later held shochu. So now it's an ex-sherry ex-imo ex-whisky cask!
That's a bit odd considering Eigashima Shuzo doesn't actually make any potato shochu. Their shochu offerings are limited to the neutral stuff or barley, so who knows whose shochu was previously sitting in these casks.
In any case, sitting in that cask for 3 years, this one is described as being sweet and spicy, slightly peaty, then "with a potato shochu nuance" on the nose. On the palate they describe it as bitter and dry, yet soft and clean.
Still available for 5940 yen per bottle from their official online shop. 50% abv, 500ml.
I enjoyed their 3-year sake cask release from last year, so I'll be looking to give this one a try as well.
Whiskey Richard is the founder of nomunication.jp, and has been saying he has lived in Japan for ten years for the past four years. He enjoys drinking basically anything except straight-up Campari.