PR invite // All thoughts and opinions are, of course, my own.
So excited to tell you about the event I attended in London last week where I got to know the Japanese whisky brand Kanosuke more.
The distillery is located in Kagoshima, in the south of Japan, and the whisky makers have taken some inspiration and knowledge by the old family traditions of shochu distillation and implemented into the distillery. This is noticeable in a few different ways such as using the stainless steel stills of sister distillery Hioki as well as vacuum distillation and ex-shochu casks are also used for maturation.
During the evening we got to try some refreshing highballs and were also treated to a masterclass with master distiller and founder Komasa-San who took us through the core releases as well as the 2023 limited release. The Hioki Pot Still was the most intriguing ones for me in this line up as I really enjoyed the sweetness of this whisky, which blended with evolving notes of fruit and barley. It was great to be able to try all four side by side as they all shine in their own way and I’ll put more tasting notes up on the blog very soon. The tasting was also hosted in quite the incredible venue as we headed up to the top of the OWO building and into the tower at the very top which is just a beautiful space. What a setting for such a lovely whisky tasting!
Kanosuke Whisky Tasting
Single Malt Kanosuke
Made from unpeated barley and a small portion of lightly peated barley and spirit from three different pot still distillates blended together and matured in re-charred American white oak that previously held shochu as well as ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks.
The single malt is smooth and is grain-forward in its character. There is also a green note which I suspect might be coming through from the shochu casks, as I’m finding it a bit foreign and hard to describe. If someone is looking for a smooth and easy to sip whisky, this would be a good one.
Kanosuke Double Distillery
This whisky is a blend of single malt from Kanosuke Distillery and pot still whisky from Hioki Distillery.
The double distillery has more caramel notes than the single malt and feels a tad richer. This might be a good one for those who generally gravitate toward sherry casks, to try something different but still has a rich undertone.
Kanosuke Hioki Pot Still
The Hioki Pot Still is, as the name suggests, made at Hioki distillery by using unmalted and malted barley. The spirit is distilled in a pot still under vacuum and matured in new American white oak and ex-bourbon casks.
This was (at the tasting) and is (after re-trying them all again) my favourite of the trio. It has a delightful sweetness which gravitates towards salted caramel, but still holds barley notes and is an interesting one to try over and over again as new characters seem to swirl to the front. For other whisky enthusiasts with a sweet tooth – don’t miss out on this one!
Kanosuke has certainly caught my interest and I’ll be so excited to follow their journey onwards!
Have you tried anything from Kanosuke Distillery?
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