Asia Nouveau

Welcome to the grand unveiling of the modern Asian Whisky scene! This Tasting Box is a thrilling exhibition of exciting flavors, featuring some of the more recent and finer artistic renditions of Asian art of distillation. Curated for your tasting pleasure, each Whisky in this collection is a masterpiece, each sip a stroke of genius, intricate and captivating. The samples on display will undoubtedly prove a prized addition to any home collection.

Exhibit A, Mars Iwai 45 Whisky, a Japanese masterpiece with a unique American twist. This piece is as close to a Bourbon cocktail as you'll find in the Land of the Rising Sun. Painted with a mash palette high in corn and malted barley, it's aged in ex-Bourbon casks, creating a flavor profile that's decidedly American in style but with a distinctly Japanese "stewed fruit" undertone. Bold, daring, and unapologetically expressive!

Exhibit B, Kamet Single Malt Whisky, and Indian beauty from the foothills of Mt. Kamet in the Himalayas. Created in Scottish-style Whisky pot stills and matured under the unique climate conditions of the Himalayas, this Whisky utilizes extreme temperature fluctuations and monsoon techniques to craft the flavor. Made from local six-row barley, Kamet Single Malt is matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon American oak, ex-Wine French oak, and ex-Sherry Pedro Ximenez & Oloroso casks to paint a lively palate teeming with colorful notes and complexity.

Exhibit C, Akashi Blended Japanese Whisky, a testament to Japan's age-old distilling tradition. Hailing from one of Japan's oldest family-run distilleries, Eigashima Shuzo, this offering is a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation. Lightly peated, copper-pot distilled, and matured in ex-Bourbon, Shochu, and virgin oak casks, Akashi is a balanced, fruity, and approachable piece, embodying the subtlety, balance, and beauty of the Japanese Whisky style.

Prepare for an experience so dynamic and expressive that you’ll become an avid collector!

SMARTASS CORNER

1) Japanese Single Malts, like Scotch, are double-distilled in pot stills. Grain Whiskies, on the other hand, are distilled in column stills.

2) The Highball brought Japanese Whisky back to life. Aside from some attention from overseas, Japanese Whisky consumption domestically was very low during the better part of the early 2000s. It wasn’t until 2008, when Suntory launched the Highball campaign featuring their Kakubin Whisky, that things kicked off. 

3) Japan is the second biggest producer of Single Malt Whisky in the world.

4) Nestled in the Japan Alps, Mars Shinshu Distillery is quite literally taking Japanese Whisky to new heights, sitting pretty at over 800m above sea level—making it Japan’s highest distillery.

5) Eigashima Shuzo is like the OG of Japanese Whisky, having been issued Japan's first Whisky license in 1919.

6) Since 1888, Eigashima has been whipping up sake and shochu like a master - with an eye for detail, a heart full of tradition, and hands skilled in Japanese craftsmanship.

7) India consumes 370 million gallons of Whisky per year, but outside the borders, their production isn’t known for being top-notch (mostly due to the fact that the majority of Indian Whisky is made from molasses and hence of lower quality). 

8) One might think it’s too hot in India to make Whisky, but one would be wrong. The average temperature in the regions with the largest single-malt distilleries is 85°F, which is close to the conditions in which Kentucky Bourbon is made.

9) Emblazoned with the image of a sacred parrot, the Kamet label gives off some serious "fortune-teller" vibes, because, in the distillery's hometown of Kurukshetra, these feathered friends are revered as winged prophets.

10) Whisky or Whiskey? The spelling differs geographically. In Scotland, Japan, and some other parts of the world, distilleries usually spell it Whisky; in Ireland and the USA, they spell it Whiskey.