Mars Single Cask #393 American Oak 15yo for Espoa

Distillery: Shinshu - Distilled: 1986 - Bottled: 2001 - ABV: 59.5% - Bottle Number: 339

Nose: Cheesecake base, cinnamon baked banana with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, banana cake, carnation milk, and custard tart. With time fresh soft liquorice sticks and orange and lemon sherbet. There's a sudden transformation to mild sour sobs and grassy elements with extended time. Immediately with water - further fruity excitement: pineapple chewy confectionary and/or pineapple lifesavers. Dried apricots and mango. While on the candy front ill even throw in a bag of jelly beans. Then, it becomes scented with Bounty chocolate (coconut dressed in milk chocolate).

Taste: Prickly spices - cardamom, nutmeg, and a touch of pickled ginger. Heavily grilled pineapple rings, and a touch of liquorice. Vanilla wood spice. With water glazed grapefruit peel, dusty paddle pop sticks and/or old book pages. Bitter wood, BBQ grapefruit peel, and walnuts. 

Finish: Very long and prickly with a mellow hint of a liquorice, and glazed grapefruit peel. With water mildly spicy coconut chutney.

Comment: Some attentive readers may have already pointed out – there is quite a bit of colour disfiguration on the labels and in particular the ‘Cask Strength’ seal on the bottle neck. Pictures of other bottles in comparison show a black seal that may suggest my bottle had potentially seen a lot of sun/or shop lighting while sitting on the shelf. Significant exposure to light - being natural or artificial can cause colour change and affect the taste, as to how much or if any of this bottle has been affected is anyone’s guess. 

Asahi Announces Price Hike for 2015

Asahi breweries Ltd, the owners of the Nikka Distilling Co, yesterday announced their revised prices for both domestic and imported products in the company’s portfolio. According to the Japanese press release (here) prices will become effective locally from September 1, 2015. The price hike, stated by the company is in accordance to the price increase in barley and raw materials such as corn. Some products have risen up to 44 percent in price.

Domestic brand price revision (excluding tax):

In addition, and although Asahi holdings have not officially made a public announcement, word among working people in the industry is that all aged single malt expressions from both the Yoichi and Miyagikyo stables will disappear from the distillery’s portfolio before the end of the year. Along with this hint of what is to come, apparently the infamous no-age single malts will cease in the 500ml bottling and change to 700ml respectively. In short, if you are a fan of either expression it may pay to stock up - that is to say if you can find anything on the shelves.We all know what happened with Yamazaki 10 and 12 year old expressions.

* Graph taken from the Asahi homepage

Ariake Barrel - Undiscovered Japan

Ariake Sangyo was founded in Kyoto in 1963 as a small, family-owned business established by the Odawara clan. It was here, at the Kyoto headquarters that the firm began its history. In the early days it started out making wooden crates to cradle Japan’s traditional 1.8 litre Sake bottles that are known locally as Sho-bin. 

Then, in 1984 the firm, using its knowledge of wood properties officially began making casks to meet the initial requirements of wine and Sochu makers all over Japan. Due to a stand-out reputation, increasing demand, reservations and inquiries from whisky distillers, within a few years it was necessary to expand and in 1997 built its present warehouse–Ariake Barrel. Situated in Miyazaki prefecture, located in the southwest of Kyushu, in Japan’s third-largest island, the establishment is one of the few remaining cooperages in the island nation. 

In terms of scale and activity, the amount of employees, and cask turnout, the cooperage is relatively small when compared to international large-scale ‘mega’ production facilities. Eleven highly-skilled 20 year veteran craftsmen on average turnout about 3,600 casks annually or 300 units per month–each barrel a testimony to the many years of experience and dedication to the master coopers. It takes patience, skill, and passion to create the perfect barrel. Time and attention that a small-scale artisanal cooperage like Ariake Barrel painstakingly put into making casks is extremely significant, especially at a time when most large cooperages have significantly replaced man with machines.

Ariake Barrel continue the age-old craftsmanship using traditional methods and tools where the majority of the workload is by hand involving hard physical work.  Here, highly skilled individuals have not been replaced mechanically, the only aid given to the ageing specialists is one mechanical hoop driver for putting on head hoops. Quarter and central hoops, stave repair, and the fitting of barrel heads are implemented the old-fashion way–wielding a weighty hammer and driver. 

There is no automated assemblage or charring here, no computer driven technology, nor any gas burners in sight, traditional toasting and charring methods are employed. Open end casks are placed over open-fire wood burners for a pre-light toast before wood chips and wood shavings are added for 15 seconds to achieve the right level of char. Degree of charring is determined by the eyes and expertise of the coopers who will, when ready, physically and theatrically burrow behind flamed engulfed casks, and by using their body strength and hands lay the casks on their side and roll them for an additional 8 seconds before being extinguished–timing, speed, and the personal pursuit of excellence remain at the forefront. Singed and blackened faces coincide with the beginning of popping and cracking sounds. 90 percent of these newly coopered barrels will go to Sochu industry while the remaining 10 percent is allocated to domestic whisky produces, most of which being for craft or upcoming distilleries. In addition to the production of American Oak barrels at the cooperage Ariake-Barrel import new virgin casks (whole) - French wine (95 percent) and American Oak (5 percent), along with refill casks (whole) - Brandy (50 percent) and Sherry (50 percent).

Currently Ariake-Barrel is not officially open to the public but this may well change in due time.

Cask Adventures: A Visit to a Japanese Cooperage

Just a little over a month ago I had the opportunity to accompany another party and go behind the scenes at the Ariake Barrel cooperage in Miyazaki prefecture, Kyushu, to see first hand how artisan casks are traditionally made. Odawara-san, the grandson of the founder was kind enough to provide an up close and personal tour of the establishment that is situated 1 hour and 20 minutes away from Tachibanadori, Miyazaki city. Stay tuned for the full write up of this family-owned business and dying trade in the coming weeks.

Mercian Karuizawa 15 Year Old Original Bottle 40% abv

Nose: A touch of cream sherry, coffee essence, raspberry gummies, red apple skins, and overripe halved strawberries. Staying on the produce mild tropical fruits begin to surface - star fruit and Vietnamese dried fruit chips. However, although the aforementioned aromas are clearly detectable, overall it is quite light and perhaps a tad watery on the nose. Like many bottlings out there this would have benefited being bottled at a slightly higher strength, and it is hard to detect that this is a 15 year old whisky (containing other parcels of Karuizawa up to 31 years of age). With oxidization, in my opinion, it becomes much bolder. This is where things begin to happen…raspberry vinegar dressing, Redskins lollies (raspberry-flavoured chewy confectionary), and honey powder.

Taste: As with the nose it could be said that the mouth feel is equally light. Nevertheless enjoyable with a subtle tease of smoke, liquorice, and granola with dried strawberries. Slight hint of concentrated Ribena fruit syrup.  A touch of honey with a grassy note. Can become prickly on the tongue.

Finish: The tease of smoke and rubber continues to caress your tongue. It is slightly metallic and/or minnerally. Grassy. The finale is short coming however.

Comment: Sufficient time in the glass makes this much more rewarding – if you can be patient. I truly love the essence of this of bottle design, simple yes, but savvy. It retains the original ethical beauty of the brand - if there is such a thing. The design of the bottle above superseded the square-dimple type. Well worth the original RRP if you can still find it at that (regardless of the light aromas and palate), otherwise I struggle to understand the prices paid on the secondary market today.

Follow up: At the half way mark this bottle has began to take a shine on me. It has become a bit more complex and generally overall a lot more satisfying. In short it has began to represent the distillery's house style. My daily dram that I suspect will be missed when emptied.

If you scour the internet there are not too many reviews to be found on Mercian era Karuizawa official bottles. You have an alternate review of this 15 year old from Pierre over at Connosr. You can see notes of the 17 year old dimple-type bottling at TJWR,  Whisky Fun, and WHISKYBASE. I've seen print reviews from Dave Broom and Martine - but not a lot around really. 

Whisky Shop W. Hakushu Distillery WSO-003 48% abv

Nose: Not your typical Hakushu, which makes everything that bit more interesting. Sure, it has the typical house-style aromas bamboo, and whiffs of forestry.  However, it is the cask that influences this little number – creating a whole new game. Pink marshmallows, strawberry jam, and grated coconut on a malt biscuit. Dried figs dipped in white chocolate. Cinnamon. Sour grapefruit gummies.

Taste: Winter berry spice, Cherry Ripe (grated fruit cherries and coconut, chocolate). Cranberry sauce, oloroso sherry elements, pepper, bamboo, and greenery.

Finish: Moderate and prickly with pepper, cinnamon, and sour grapefruit gummies.

Comment: Red wine barrel maturation or finish? The WSO-003 had an outurn of 1500 bottles.

Whisky Shop W. Single Grain Chita Distillery WSO-004 48% abv

Nose: Clean and subtle. Elegant sweetness consisting of puff wheat cereal with warm milk and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Honey lemon slices, vanilla, and white chocolate. As expected there’s a lovely floral graininess. From here a mixture of assorted sweet savoury aromas - creamed corn, mashed pumpkin and sweet potato, and a distinctive but low key sourwood waft. Shea butter? Adding a few drops of water creates herbal notes and mandarin. 

Taste: Velvety, refined, and mouth-watering. Melons, mild pepper and light oak. Sweet potato butter spread. Whole grain honey puffs cereal. Popcorn. Some mild creamy nuttiness – almond butter. Then, it tends to become variable with dryness. Sour -  light fruity tartness. Sweet vinegar. With time the nose reminds me of Irish Poitin - sugar beet distilled spirits. Wood sap. It's quite neutral with water in my opinion.

Finish: Moderate to long lingering. Refreshing bitter-sweet element. Grassy and dry. Sugar beet. Light oak and pepper. Baked grapefruit peel. 

Comment: I’m a sucker for single grain whiskies, especially on the home front, and like most domestic grain whiskies this one ticks all the right boxes.