Akkeshi – "Shousho" Single Malt Peated Japanese Whisky (70cl, 55%)

Akkeshi Shousho is a peated Japanese single malt from the Akkeshi Distillery in Hokkaido, bottled at 55% in a 70cl bottle. Its name means "minor heat", and it is the 16th edition in the distillery's Nijushisekki series, named after the Twenty-Four Solar Terms. The whisky draws mainly on barley grown in Hokkaido and was matured in local Mizunara oak casks alongside ex-bourbon and sherry casks. It is heavily peated, at 30 ppm phenol or more. The nose brings banana juice, cream anmitsu and salty lemon. On the palate come sugared citrus fruits and edible flowers, and the finish carries myoga ginger, dashi soy sauce, lemon candy and light smoke.