Ohishi Islay Cask Finish Whisky

An elegant, Japanese Whisky by the Ohishi Distillery in Kyushu, Japan made using mochi rice from Kumamoto & gohyakumanishi rice, grown through organic farming, employing Koi Carp to control weeds. It is fully matured in ex-Brandy casks & finished for 8 months in barrels that held Islay Scotch. It has a delicate birth with hints of pear, honey, vanilla, malt & peat; while a rich & complex life adds notes of honey, vanilla, pear, peat, tropical fruits, spices. grass & Sake; that led to a long & smoky death with hints of jerky, vanilla & fruit. January / May 2020 / December 2021 / August 2022

Color is light straw. Nose starts with peat, followed quickly by a sweet backbone. Notes of fresh fruit and honey are present in the background. First sip is markedly peated, with a nice smooth mouthfeel. Notes of sweetness come and go, with several distinct, but hard to identify variations on the sweetness as the peat circulates. Finish is a further intermingling of the sweat/peat combo. Despite not being able to identify specific components as well as with other Whiskies, I found this rather enjoyable.

Whoa...smokey pepperiness is dominating the flavors. This splashes across the tongue like water, not at all like many scotches that have an oiliness about them. Interestingly, the aroma is smokey peat. Now if you add a couple drops of water the peatiness of flavor & aroma really comes to the front of the senses. Overall, I'm not crazy about this one.

not knowing the specific distillery for the Islay cask is a bit of a turn off. however, this is a dream for smoke and peat lovers while broadening horizons for those not quite ready for the full blown Scotch experience. almost “meaty” borderline sherry on the lingering taste. with a touch of water more of the orange and fruitiness come forward.

Tastes just like I'd expect japanese whiskey in a peated cask to taste, sweet and pleasant at the start and with a nice peated smoke kick. The tail is quite bad though, peat devolves into something artificial and plastic. Not sure what that is but it isnt great.

The Islay Cask is definitely making itself heard here. This starts out mild and sweet for a moment before descending into quite a lot of smoky peaty goodness. It has a nice drawn out finish that lingers in the best way.