Kanosuke – 2018-2020 Artist Edition #003 'Yukihito Kanai' (70cl, 50%)

This is Artist Edition #003 from Kanosuke, a Japanese blended malt in a 70cl bottle at 50% ABV. It combines malt whiskies matured in used Bourbon and red wine casks with others from refill casks that held black sugar shochu from Amami Oshima, and it includes some peated malt. The casks were aged in a warehouse on a hill overlooking the East China Sea, near the distillery in Hioki, Kagoshima. The label follows an earth theme, using grass, mud and sand from the Kagoshima region. The nose shows passion fruit and banana with caramel and black tea, without strong peat smoke. The palate offers brown sugar and honey, a warming nikki spice, and summer fruits such as melon and peach.