55% ABV. Taisetsu is part of Akkeshi’s 24 Sekki series, which refers to Japan’s 24 divisions of the solar year. These releases vary in style and origin and are blended to mirror the personalities of the seasons they represent. The Japanese call the 21st of their 24 solar terms ‘Heavy Snow’, a time that captures the winter solstice and when bears retreat into hibernation—the inspiration for the label.

On the nose, Akkeshi’s trademark peat notes sit behind complex sweet aromas of toffee, orange rind, cocoa butter and malted milk, with nuances of flax and lanolin. On the palate, it’s big and round, with explosive flavour. Pineapple and dried mango fruit flavours rise before chocolate and a fresh, waxing tide of tarragon, mint and white pepper. It’s one of the distillery’s lightest peated bottlings in recent times, and it’s an exceptionally refined and delicious one at that.

48% ABV. Taisho is the 12th of the 24 Japanese solar terms. The hottest period of the year, this is a celebratory time with many festivals and fireworks. The indigo label is inspired by yukata, the light summer kimono worn during the warmer months. As always, the exact production details are difficult to pin down, but the key malt is 100% from Hokkaido, aged in a variety of casks, including Mizunara and Bourbon, alongside imported grain purchased as new make and aged entirely in-house (nine separate components contributed to the blend).

This is signature Akkeshi, with fresh yet savoury/saline peatiness positioned at the forefront. A hot-blooded blend, this changes constantly in the glass and is best without water. Secondary notes of spun sugar and tropical fruit are joined by deep citrus, burnt sage and green almond notes in the mouth. It finishes spicy, salty and long.

46% ABV. While Chichibu tends to focus on single-cask bottlings, its constant, the Whisky that Ichiro himself is said to partake of each day (especially with a dash of warm water in winter), is this blend that has come to be known as ‘White Label’. As it says on the back label, it’s designed to represent the world of Whisky, with the blending components sourced from England, Canada, United States, Ireland and Scotland. The source material is a closely guarded secret but is believed to contain around 30% malt and 70% grain, the majority unpeated, with an average age of 10 years (the oldest stocks are up to 20 years of age). Each of the sourced world Whiskies are aged between three and 20 years in their countries of origin before being brought to Chichibu for 2–3 years of additional aging.

Although it’s not a single-cask Whisky, even this bottling retains individuality, with each batch only running to about 3500 bottles from around 100 casks. The batches are married in Mizunara oak tanks, with a nod to the solera system (a portion from the previous batch is always retained for consistency). Each batch will vary slightly, but expect a genuine appreciation of the grain characters to provide a dominant rye note to the nose, with definitive Sherry cask spice and a touch of peat.

There’s plenty of warm, spicy kick on the palate, with banana bread and fruity undertones painted across the background with shades of apricot, orange and peach. The peat is evident again on the finish, with a gentle medicinal tang rather than a smoky hit. Bottled without additives or colouring, it’s a deep, sophisticated and nuanced introduction to one of the more fascinating distilleries on the planet.

48% ABV. Ichiro’s Malt and Grain Limited Edition is the senior sibling to the Whisky above. Like the entry Malt and Grain, this is a blend of Whiskies from around the globe, but here the practically ancient Akuto stocks (up to 40 years old) also feature, along with a higher proportion of malt to grain. Again, we don’t know the exact balance. You can expect the blend to include Scotch Whisky, Canadian Rye Whisky, American Bourbon, Irish Whiskey, and Ichiro’s own Japanese single malt Whisky. Each Whisk(e)y is aged for at least 10 years before vatting; many of the sourced whiskies are aged 20–40 years. It is packaged in Mizunara oak.

Behind its blue label, this supremely drinkable blend is layered with a sweet and spicy complexity. Although the grain component is less prominent here, it is still allowed to shine before apple pie and spices layer upon lemon curd and oats and then progress towards more decadent toffee and malt notes, with a whisper of salty smoke to finish. As you would expect from a distiller described by Whisky writer Tristan Stephenson as the “closest you are likely to get to Whisky royalty in Japan”, the balance and overall quality are exceptional.

46% ABV. Double Distilleries is a vatting of single malt from the Hanyu Distillery, built by Ichiro Akuto's grandfather, combined with younger distillate from the Chichibu Distillery, built by Ichiro himself.  After Hanyu was sold in 2000 (to a Kyoto-based Shochu producer), Akuto managed to rescue a mere 400 casks of mature Whisky from its vaults. This bottling, then, represents a family blend of Akuto Whiskies from different generations and different distilleries. The Whiskies are vatted in Japanese Mizunara Oak at Chichibu; the Hanyu material was traditionally matured in Sherry hogsheads, and the Chichibu distillate was also aged in Japanese oak. The marriage is a fine one indeed, with the delicate sweetness and punchy fruit notes of the Chichibu malt dovetailing with the more barley-rich, structured Hanyu. Non-chill filtered and non-coloured.

46.5% ABV. Like the other Leaf Series bottlings, Ichiro’s Malt Wine Wood Reserve is a blend of single malts from Hanyu and Chichibu. The Hanyu element is composed of Whisky that was matured in French oak that previously contained Japanese red wine, while the Chichibu portion matured in the unique Ovum casks (20-hectolitre egg-shaped barrels made from French oak), shaped in the Charente region by Taransaud.

It’s a deeply coloured malt (naturally so) with a uniquely vinous nose and nut, berry and spice overtones. The palate continues the spicy theme, with balancing sweetness and a finish tinged with dark chocolate and a whisper of smoke. Ask any distiller, and they will tell you that wine cask finishes can be tricky to pull off; you’re in safe hands with this masterpiece.

Unlike several of Japan’s young whisky distilleries, Masaharu Sasaki passed up the trend of releasing ‘newborn’ expressions. Instead, Yuza entered the market with a Japanese single malt that picked up Gold at the San Francisco International Spirits Challenge.

This cask-strength second release was carefully selected from barrels from the first season at Yuza Distillery from February to July 2019. It’s estimated, but not confirmed, that this selection could contain up to 80% ex-Sherry barrels. As distinct from the First Edition—a very bright expression raised in ex-Bourbon cask—the Second Edition was blended for more complexity, depth and luxurious flavour.

This has a very old-world flavour profile (slightly reminiscent of top-shelf Speyside), and the alcohol sits in excellent balance with the complexity of the spirit. There’s a whisper of peat on the nose, with fragrant cereal notes before progressing towards deeper stone fruits and fig. It’s luscious and oily in the mouth, round and slightly earthy with spice and oat notes. It finishes dry with traces of liquorice and a mineral tang.