Ohishi Astor Brandy Cask Japanese Whisky

This beautiful whisky hails from the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu. From the family run multi-generation distillery that dates back to 1872, the spirit is based on five different types of rice grown on the island with nearly half of it grown by the family themselves. A combination if malted and un-malted rice pass through pot stills twice before in this case, being aged for eight years in a ex-brandy cask. The whisky was bottled from a single cask at full proof and un-filtered to retain its maximum flavor and complexity. The opening notes remind us of a high end Irish whiskey but the profile quickly changes, showing flavors of chrysanthemum tea, golden apples, white pepper, ginger and preserved lemon.