Ontake – 2025 (70cl, 43%)

Ontake 2025 is the 2025 bottling of the Japanese single malt from the Ontake Distillery, which overlooks Kinko Bay and the volcano Sakurajima in Kagoshima. It is bottled at 43% in a 70cl bottle. The distillery is run by Nishi Shuzo, a shochu producer founded in 1845, and began making whisky in 2019. It is made from unpeated two-row barley and matured only in solera sherry butts from Andalusia, Spain, each of which is inspected by distillery staff before selection. The nose shows lightly caramelised sweetness like karintō, with dried apricot, caramelised apple and prunes stewed in red wine. The palate is smooth and silky, with dark fruits and roasted chestnuts.