White Oak Akashi 15 Year Old (500ml  58%)
White Oak Akashi 15 Year Old (500ml  58%)

White Oak Akashi 15 Year Old Single Malt Japanese Whisky (500ml / 58%)

$699.00
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*ONLY 3 AVAILABLE* FREE POST AUSTRALIA WIDENon chill filtered / Non colouredWhite Oak Akashi 15 Year Old (500ml / 56% ABV)Release Qty: 795 bottlesThe White Oak whisky distillery is located in the...

Description

*ONLY 3 AVAILABLE*

FREE POST AUSTRALIA WIDE

Non chill filtered / Non coloured

White Oak Akashi 15 Year Old (500ml / 56% ABV)

Release Qty: 795 bottles

The White Oak whisky distillery is located in the city of Akashi in Hyōgo Prefecture, west of Kōbe, facing the Seto Inland Sea. The owner’s family arrived in the area during the Edo period in 1679. Five generations later the business expanded by adding a Sake brewery and a Shochu distillery to its operations and a licence was granted to Eigashima Shuzo in 1888.

Whisky became very popular during WWI and with some minor changes to the barley-based Shochu production process, whisky production would be possible. In 1919 the first whisky was produced which predates both Suntory and Nikka and makes Eigashima Shuzo the oldest official Japanese whisky maker.

In 1984 Eigashima replaced the production facility with a new building and production line, including new pot stills, mash tuns and washbacks – White Oak Distillery was born. The whisky stills are only in operation for one month every year and so their production quantity each year is minuscule.

Most of White Oak’s production is in the form of blended whiskies due to their limited output. Some barrels are aged for long enough for single malt bottling, and when these single malts do come on the market the whisky is named ‘Akashi’.

These sensational whiskies are released in extremely limited quantities.

Description:

This bottling was distilled in July 1997 and has been aged for 12 years in used Spanish Brandy casks.  These casks are over 20 years old, have never been reconditioned and are still used today to age various malts at the distillery. It then spent a further 2.5 years in Konara Oak casks.

Konara (Quercus serrata) is related to the famous Mizunara. Eigashima uses Konara oak to mature some of their Nihonshu (Sake) and when they decided to transfer some of their oldest stock to ex-white wine casks from their winery in Yamanashi two and a half years ago, they had enough left to fill one more cask.

And so the remainder of that whisky – that had been maturing in Spanish Brandy casks for 12 years and a half – was transferred to a virgin Konara cask.

After 2 years and a half of further maturation in Konara, their 15yo was released.

Where the 14 year old has huge bold flavors, this is a kick in the nuts. The flavors are bigger and trump the other whisky quite easily. The 2.5 years finish in Konara Wood is quite clear from the oaky bitterness and big wood flavors.