White Oak Distillery Akashi Whisky

A little known fact is that White Oak, established in 1888, is the oldest distillery in Japan. Even more extraordinary is that they were the first distillery in 1919, four years before Suntory's Yamazaki Distillery, to obtain a license to make whisky. Being saké brewers traditionally, they amazingly made no whisky until 40 years later. Now their introductory Akashi expression is the best value of Japanese whisky in the market. This innovative blend is comprised of 70% corn grain and 30% malted barley, slightly peated, aged for at least three years in used bourbon barrels, and finished in Sherry casks. While bourbon-like initially with caramel corn and coconut shell aromas, the savory Sherry notes bring forward that little bit of smoky peat and before you know it this whisky's got you under its spell. This is set to be a new benchmark for the category and a must-try for anybody even remotely interested in whisky.