White Oak Eigashima Sherry Cask Matured Single Malt Japanese Whisky (500ml)

White Oak Distillery have released two new limited editions for 2020 to celebrate the 101st anniversary of their licence to distill. It's not the first time the distillery has highlighted the fact that they were licensed before Kotobukiya (Suntory) and Nikka. However they didn't actually build Japan's first whisky distillery. That was left to Yamazaki.

White Oaks new blend and single malt are both sherry matured and named after the parent company. Suitably, the presentation is reminiscent of a century ago, featuring the old Eigashima logo and trademark. The malt is made from 100% UK barley and is a vatting of whiskies distilled between 2009 and 2014. The result is non chill filtered and bottled at 50% Alc./Vol.

Located in the city of Akashi in Hyogo Prefecture, west of Kobe, the White Oak distillery was founded by Eigashima Shuzo - a Sake and Shochu producer since 1888. Despite an early license to manufacture whisky, it was only when the company moved to their current facilities in 1984 that White Oak Distillery was born. The stills here are in operation for just a few month’s of the year, so production is minuscule. Since 2017 Eigashima ceased making Shochu to re-focus their energy into making whisky. They're now working six days a week from April through to July in order to maximise output. Currently there are around 1200 casks ageing at White Oak, the oldest stocks being around eight years old. Most of the maturation is done in first fill Bourbon casks (ex Wild Turkey) and new Sherry casks. However, the warehouse holds everything from refill American to re-charred Shochu casks, Cognac casks, Tequila Casks and even some very special locally coopered casks made from Konara - often reserved for ageing Shochu.