Hakata 18 Year Old Sherry Cask Japanese Whisky [Wood Box]
Hakata 18 Year Old Sherry Cask Japanese Whisky
Distilled in Fukuoka, Japan from 100% barley, with a fraction of the barley being Koji-fermented. Matured in ex-Sherry casks in traditional warehouses and bottled at 42% ABV.
The sherry barrel gives even this entry-level bottling a rich and deep color, setting the stage for what’s to come in the older expressions. Boldly leathery and dense on the nose, the whiskey offers notes of baking spice, ginger, and mulled wine — giving it a Christmassy quality — with some black pepper ground over the top.
The impact of the koji is evident right away on first sip, where a boldly savory quality sets the whiskey on its intense, heady path. The sherry again dominates here completely — austere, leathery, nutty, and heavy with notes of polished wood. A pinch of citrus brightens up the overwhelming character of oxidized wine, but not much. It’s as unique an expression of Japanese whiskey as I’ve encountered; I’ve had Spanish sherries that had less of a sherry character than this.
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Description
Hakata 18 Year Old Sherry Cask Japanese Whisky
Distilled in Fukuoka, Japan from 100% barley, with a fraction of the barley being Koji-fermented. Matured in ex-Sherry casks in traditional warehouses and bottled at 42% ABV.
The sherry barrel gives even this entry-level bottling a rich and deep color, setting the stage for what’s to come in the older expressions. Boldly leathery and dense on the nose, the whiskey offers notes of baking spice, ginger, and mulled wine — giving it a Christmassy quality — with some black pepper ground over the top.
The impact of the koji is evident right away on first sip, where a boldly savory quality sets the whiskey on its intense, heady path. The sherry again dominates here completely — austere, leathery, nutty, and heavy with notes of polished wood. A pinch of citrus brightens up the overwhelming character of oxidized wine, but not much. It’s as unique an expression of Japanese whiskey as I’ve encountered; I’ve had Spanish sherries that had less of a sherry character than this.
