Fukano Kumamoto Soul Japanese Whisky (70cl, 43.2%)

Fukano Kumamoto Soul is a koji rice whisky bottled at 43.2% in a 70cl bottle. It is distilled in pot stills from malted and un-malted rice at Fukano Distillery in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto, which was founded in 1823 and is run by seven generations of the Fukano family. The distillery made Kuma shochu before it made whisky, and this expression applies the same koji fermentation and pot-still methods. The nose brings sweet steamed rice and sake-like florals. On the palate come honey, brown sugar, dried orchard fruit and soft oak spice, and the finish carries a saline minerality.