2016 Akashi 4 Year Old Single Cask No.61966 "Ghost Series No.15" Cask Strength Single Malt Japanese Whisky (500ml)

A now very rare item that sold out in under ten minutes on release. Selected by Japanese whisky godfather, Stefan van Eycken with Hideo Yamaoka as part of their 'Ghost Series', edition #15 is a 4-year old Akashi, made from single malts matured in sherry and bourbon barrels which were then vatted in a single port cask for one year. With only 849 bottles produced, it will be on collector's radars. Beautiful presentation. 61.5% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.

Other reviews... Nose: Highly sweet but it's a tad dreary. Prunes, dried leaves, and tiny bit of spiciness. I guess they call them dark fruits for a reason. Digging deeper, there's that sweet potato tanginess if you look for it. Palate: Deep, dark sherry that stuck around after last call. Water brings out dark chocolate. Finish: Great tannins and nuttiness, A slight tinge of bitterness alongside mint and cinnamon. Shochu sticks around. Another wonderful entry in the Ghost series. Tawny means "orange-brown or yellowish-brown colour." Yes I had to look the word up. That definition matches this profile quite well: the sherry here shows through but it's taken on a slightly darker, more ominous role. Japanese whisky gets its share of fortified wine cask aging, but this character certainly isn't found anywhere else. Perhaps that's the shochu speaking? - nomunication.jp