Eigashima Akashi Whiskey 1.8L

Eigashima Shuzo traces its roots to 1679, when the Urabe family began brewing sake in the coastal town of Akashi near Kobe, Japan. The family later joined with several other sake producers in 1888 to formally establish Eigashima Shuzo, and in 1919 the company became the first in Japan to receive a license to produce whisky, predating even Suntory and Nikka. Despite that early start, serious malt whisky production didn't begin until 1984, when the family built dedicated copper pot stills at its coastal White Oak facility. Now run under ninth-generation family leadership, Eigashima remains Japan's smallest whisky producer, with stills running for only a couple of months each year alongside its main business in sake and shochu.

Akashi is distilled from barley imported from Scotland, using water drawn from the same underground source that supplies the distillery's sake production. After milling, mashing, and pot still distillation, the whisky matures in a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks in warehouses set just steps from the sea, where Akashi's hot summers and cool winters push evaporation rates well above what's typical in Scotland, encouraging faster interaction between spirit and wood. For export markets, the malt whisky is blended with grain whisky to meet international whisky standards.

The nose offers delicate malt character lifted by citrus zest, black cherry, and toffee, with oak adding depth underneath. On the palate, that malt sweetness continues alongside vanilla, pine nut, and a whisper of gentle peat smoke reflecting its seaside surroundings. The finish is soft and clean, with a lingering saline note typical of its coastal aging. It's well suited to sipping neat with a splash of water or built into a classic Japanese highball.