Information on Kanosuke’s 2025 Limited Edition has been released, and will be available from September 25th.
This time, DOUBLE DISTILLERY using the original sake from Kanosuke distillery & Hioki distillery.
Newly released Kanosuke limited series. The 2024 Limited is released by HIOKI.
This seems to be another special one.
１．KANOSUKE DOUBLE DISTILLERY 2025 LIMITED EDITION
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The Evolution of Blending, Connected by Shochu Richer Barrels <Limited Quantity>
KANOSUKE’s top product, DOUBLE DISTILLERY, in limited quantities.
A family tradition that has been passed down for 140 years. We have shed new light on the shochu lure barrel, the symbol of this tradition.DOUBLE DISTILLERY is a blended whisky that combines the original whisky from two distilleries, Kanosuke and Hioki, and the individuality of various casks.
In the 2025LIMITED EDITION, not only the malt base sake from the Kanosuke distillery, but also the pot still base sake from the Hioki distillery is aged in shochu litchi casks.
Shochu litchi barrels, such as those used for Japan’s first barrel-stored shochu “Mellow Kozuru,” are a key component of KANOSUKE’s unique flavor.
In this blend, the single malt base sake matured in sherry casks is further finished in shochu litchi casks and used as the key malt.
The addition of rum cask-aged sake as an essence gives the aroma a three-dimensional quality.
The careful blending of these original liquors brings out a rich mellow harmony with layers of layers of mellow, creating a deep flavor that is enveloped in warm Japanese spices.
This new evolution of Japanese blended whisky is the story of the brothers who lead their respective distilleries, and is a challenging drink that carries on their grandfather’s dream and shochu tradition.TASTING NOTE
２．Product Specs
| alcohol content (usu. expressed per cent) | 59% |
| distinction by alcohol | Japanese blended whisky |
| cask-type | Shochu litchi casks, sherry casks, rum casks, etc. |
| Volume of contents | 700ml |
| MSRP | 18,700 yen (tax included) |
| Release Date | September 25, 2025 |
２．KANOSUKE Distillery
Kanosuke Distillery started operation in 2017.
It stands on a spacious site of approximately 9,000 m2 along Fukiage beach on the west coast of Kagoshima Prefecture, and is dotted with various facilities. The U-shaped, two-story main building houses distilling facilities, a bar with a great view, and a store selling original goods, allowing visitors to experience whisky making up close and personal.
The main feature of the Kanosuke Distillery is that it is equipped with three pot stills (distillers), each with a capacity of 6,000, 3,000, and 1,600 liters. Each has a capacity of 6,000 liters, 3,000 liters, and 1,600 liters, respectively, which is the norm for craft distilleries (small distilleries) around the world. whisky is usually distilled twice, and Kanosuke Distillery uses pot stills with different shapes of necks and angles of the upper line arm during the second distillation (redistillation) to produce different types of whisky with different aromas and flavors.
There is also a grain factory called Hioki Distillery, which is now the second distillery. Originally a shochu distillery that produced Komasa Shuzo’s signature product, the Kozuru series, Komasa Gin was also made at the distillery.2 Following the Kanosuke distillery, the Hioki distillery obtained a license to produce whisky in 2020, and began producing grain whisky. whisky distilled at Hioki has already been sold.
４．Hioki Distillery
| location | 3309 Hiyoshi-cho, Hioki-shi, Kagoshima 899-3101 |
| Commencement of operations | 1883 |
Originally, the company started out making sake for the Hioki Hachiman Shrine and distilling authentic shochu. Today, the company manufactures and sells liqueurs, spirits, and whiskey. Its representative brand is the “Kozuru” series of potato shochu.
Among them, “Mellow Cozuru” is recharged and used in single malt Kanosuke, and has its own unique manufacturing process and proprietary know-how.
The distiller is a straight vertical stainless steel distiller used for shochu.
画像出展：嘉之助蒸溜所公式HP
Whisky made in Hioki is “grain whisky,” but it differs from the continuous distillers normally used for grain whisky.
At Hioki, we use a single distiller to perform reduced-pressure distillation, which keeps the distillation rate low. This process results in a strong sake that retains the flavor derived from the raw ingredients.
This is truly a “Japanese pot still” unique to the Komasa Shuzo brewery, which has long been engaged in shochu production.
For past products of Kanosuke Distillery, click here↓.
Lastly: Recommended Books on Japanese Whisky
If you want to learn more about Japanese whisky, which is a global trend, we highly recommend these books.
(1).Whisky Galore Vol.29 December 2021 issue
In the December 2021 issue of Whisky Galore, published by the Whisky Culture Research Institute, we report on 11 Japanese craft distilleries, including some that are open to the public for the first time, under the title of “Japanese Whisky Craft Frontline,” the first of three consecutive issues. Why did the popularity of Japanese whisky and the craft boom occur? We will examine with interviews. Chichibu Distillery / Chichibu No.2 Distillery / Mars Shinshu Distillery / Mars Tsunuki Distillery / Kanosuke Distillery / Hioki Distillery / Ontake Distillery / Osuzuyama Distillery / Kaikyo Distillery / Hanyu Distillery / Konosu Distillery
(2). Japanese Whisky as an Education for Business
This is a book written by Mamoru Tsuchiya, a world-famous whisky critic and representative of the Whisky Culture Research Institute, titled “Japanese Whisky as a Culture that Works for Business” .
The book covers the basics of whisky, the introduction of whisky to Japan, the birth of Japanese whisky, advertising strategies and the rise of Japanese whisky, and the current rise of craft distilleries. This is a book that summarizes Japanese whisky in a very easy to understand way.
(3). Whisky and I (Masataka Taketsuru)
Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka Whisky, devoted his life to brewing whisky in Japan. This is a revised and reprinted version of the autobiography of a man who simply loved whisky and talked about himself. The book vividly depicts the days when he went to Scotland alone to study as a young man and overcame many hardships to complete Japanese whisky, as well as his companion, Rita.
(4). A Letter of Challenge from a New Generation Distillery
Launching in 2019. With the world experiencing an unprecedented whisky boom, what were the managers of craft distilleries thinking and what were their thoughts as they took on the challenge of making whisky? This book tells the stories of 13 craft distillery owners, including Ichiro Hido of Venture Whisky, famous for his Ichirose Malt, who inspired the birth of craft distilleries in Japan.
(5). Whiskey Rising
This is the Japanese version of Whisky Risng, published in the US in 2016, with much updated content. Not only does it describe the history of Japanese whisky in detail, but it also includes data on all the distilleries in Japan, including the craft distilleries that have been founded in recent years. The book also includes descriptions of the legendary bottles that have been released, as well as information on bars where Japanese whisky can be found.
