Japan is a magical land, protected by the ocean, far away from everything we know and even understand. Solitude means purity. The purity of water, earth, and sky. Solitude also means purity of Spirit. Eigashima Distillery, located in the town of Agashi, just a stone’s throw away from Kobe Bay, is molded by these elements. Here, a couple of feet from the ocean, the owner’s family has been making Spirits for centuries. Eigashima Shuzo also holds Japan’s first Whisky license, issued all the way back in 1919, but to this day remains one of the country’s smallest Whisky producers. Quality over quantity is the motto. This is where we speak the same language.
The beautiful Akashi Blended Whisky is the purest incarnation of Japanese distilling tradition, their precision, honesty, and that perfect sea-side climate with its salty air and huge temperature differences between seasons. Lightly peated, copper-pot distilled, and matured in ex-Bourbon, Shochu, and virgin oak casks, it's a balanced, fruity, and approachable Spirit. In other words ― it's the perfect entry point into the wonderful world of Japanese Whisky.
What does Akashi Blended Japanese Whisky taste like?
The Flavor Spiral™ shows the most common flavors that you'll taste in Akashi Blended Japanese Whisky and gives you a chance to have a taste of it before actually tasting it.
We invented Flavor Spiral™ here at Flaviar to get all your senses involved in tasting drinks and, frankly, because we think that classic tasting notes are boring.
Dog Dogson's
Smartass Corner
Japanese Whisky is connected both to Scotch and Bourbon. It’s a Scotch-style Spirit that’s matured in climates similar to Kentucky’s.
Nose / Aroma / Smell
It's a delicate fruity burst with apricots, dried fruit, citrus, and wood on the nose.
Flavor / Taste / Palate
Approachable, pure, and clean, the palate has a pleasant sweetness, a dash of caramel, honey, and spice, as well as a light touch of peat.
Finish
Finishes with a lingering fruity sweetness and slightly peaty.
Kinda rough, decent spicy and sweetness but not my fav
Evan,
TEN. I can’t believe how good this is for the price and in general. The best parts of caramel and butterscotch, so smooth... but yet not too sweet. They’ve had the longest standing whisky license in Japan for a good reason
Matthew,
Very light in flavor, but the flavors that are there are pretty good.
Adrian,
Smooth /Balance / sly notes
Gabriela,
Easy, nice to drink. Not very memorable, but a nice, soft sip.
Ben,
Brown sugar, tropical fruit
Clifton,
Nothing notable about it
Louise,
Easy to sip.
Lawrence,
Lite and quick. Sweet but fades fast
Barbara,
Advent calendar day 22. Really nice blended Japanese Whiskey. Beautiful caramel color & nose to match. I liked the hint of peat along with sweetness of honey & fruit. Had a zesty bite when sipped up but with a rock had nice lingering smooth slightly sweet finish. A definite add to my bar
Levi,
Fantastic whisky. Not too much anything except flavor! What a great blended whisky!
Colin,
Smooth, easy to sip. I don’t find it as sweet as some. Finish is warm and peaty.
Sean,
Smooth, a bit sweet, and a little peaty. Great drink, could sip this all nite!
David,
Good flavor just not my interest. Good caramel flavor
Mark,
Very nice, smooth taste, fruit, caramel, sweet flavor. I would drink this again
Nathan,
Light and subtle. Honey on the nose. Tastes of sweet/caramel and then a hit of spice which leads to peat and wood. The peat seems to linger just a bit. Very refreshing and a nice flow of flavors. Pretty sure I’m going to grab a bottle of this.
Jeffrey,
Enjoyed
Frank,
(Advent 2020, #21) The nose has some sweet fruity notes to it. Tasting it, it's nice and smooth with some sweet notes, some fruit and a touch of peat that's not overwhelming. Nice finish as well. This is one I may add to my bar!
Stephen,
Unexpectedly good, there is a really potent spice to this, but is balanced out with a moderate sweetness. It does leave a lingering flavor in the mouth, but it’s a good flavor.
Michael,
Nice for a blend, smooth & mellow, not great but for the price is a good deal
Tracy,
Caramel with peat, and the peat is not overwhelming. Also lightly fruity.
Lea,
Sweet, smooth, and a complex palate.
Todd,
Lighter but a good mix of sweet and spicy.
Jesse,
Pretty average whisky. I get more spice than I like and not much else
Matthew,
I seem to be catching a cold and I thought my sense of taste and smell were missing all the notes, but it appears from other reviews that there wasn't a whole lot to catch. Lots of caramel and honey up front, light smoke. Enjoyable, but not a stand out Japanese whisky. The Advent Calendar card misled me to think I was getting the Akashi White Oak.
Jamie,
Too sweet for my liking
Mike,
A lot of caramel up front, with a little spicy sweet finish.
James,
Nice light Japanese whisky. Good, not great. Mostly sweet. I don't get peat, like others describe. Reminds me of an Irish whiskey.
Jason,
Soooo smooth. Sweet on the nose and upfront. Light peat on the finish. Left me wanting a little more spice or oak, but nice overall.
Vincent,
Advent Day 21 - Fruity nose with a hint of oak. Palate was sweet with some caramel notes and a subtle hint of peat. A nice everyday dram.
Derek,
Caramel and honey on the nose. Lightly sweet on the palate with a mild spice followed by a hint of fruit. Short finish and slightly medicinal aftertaste.
Not unpleasant, but I’ll have forgotten it by tomorrow.
Bob,
Flaviar Advent sampler day 21. Another good but not great whisky. Another of those whiskies that doesn't seem to have a clear flavor that jumps out. It's pleasant enough but just not particularly exciting.
Thomas,
Sweet nose. Taste is very light with a bit of peat on the finish.
Adam,
A hit of caramel up front, and an earthy finish. Not a hugely complex dram.
Matthew,
This was a significant disappointment. Nose was very faint, with just hints of straw and caramel and citrus. Body follows suit, adding in a bit of non-descript woodiness and only a hint of peat. It might benefit from a higher proof, but overall just struck me as a young and not very sophisticated pour.
James,
Best of the Japanese selections in calendar to date; zesty fruit nose and palate, with great, clean taste despite peaty hints
Michele,
I would’ve enjoyed this more without the peat but I don’t like smoky whiskeys. The other flavors were lovely.
Kris,
Very smooth but I didn't feel like the flavors balanced well at all. The honey was strong but distinct from the caramel and the spice. Hibiki Harmony or Nikka Pure Malt are much better options.
Anthony,
Very surprised by the smoothness of this Whisky. I love to drink it neat or with a drop of water to bring out some of those delicious flavors.
Andrew,
Smooth and a great nose. I concur with the a prior review- the peat overpowers some flavors.
Daniel,
Advent 2020 #21 - smooth, warm and complex. Not bad, would be better if the peat didn't hide some of the flavors from being easily discernable.
brad,
My Japanese experience is limited, but for the price, I like it. Caramel and some wood spice is what I get on the palate. A little light and fruity on the nose. My favorite Japanese to date is the Yamazaki 12, and this isn’t nearly as good as that, but costs about 1/3 as much. Still enjoyable. Better than a couple other bottles I’ve had that cost more. For this price, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy again.
Jason,
Meh.
Michael,
Not much flavor comes with the harsh chemical aftertaste. Not recommended as a sipping Whiskey, ok for cocktails
Jon,
Terrific value. Under the radar release reminiscent of higher priced Japanese blends.