Bar Shinkai barrels purchased at the KANOSUKE Distillery Owners Club have been bottled. A review of the whisky, limited to 21 bottles and offered only at BAR Shinkai.
The “Owner’s Club” of KANOSUKE was previously introduced on this site. Three years have passed and the bottling is now complete.
KANOSUKE’s Owner’s Club has already been closed. 28L French oak barrel, medium char. The price was 300,000 yen, a reasonable price compared to recent cask owners.
1. photo of the bottle and label
KANOSUKE Owner’s Club Single Malt for BAR Shinkai
2. features of KANOSUKE Owner’s Club Single Malt for BAR Shinkai
The specifications of the original malt and casks in the January 2021 KANOSUKE OWNERS CASK are as follows.
Ingredients Non-peated malt (from England) Yeast Distillers yeast Distillation kettle First distillation kettle WS1 (horizontal neck, orthodox liquor characteristics)
SS1 (distillation kettle with a down-turned neck, heavy and bodied)Storage casks 28L French oak (char: medium) Storage location KANOSUKE Distillery Warehouse Year in cask July 2021 (scheduled) Alcohol content 63% (when cask filled) Number of bottles finished Approximately 30 bottles (not watered, 700ml equivalent) Quantity available 30 casks
２－１．Tasting Notes
| Aroma | Roasted raisins, pineapple cinnamon, cocoa nibs, hazelnut |
| Taste | Dried apricot, chestnut astringent skin, Syrah grape wine tannins and spice. |
| Aftertaste | Sourness and sweetness are short-lived and woody notes linger in the nostrils for a long time. |
2-2. Product Specifications
| Alcohol Content | 64% (64% alcohol by volume) |
| Distillate | Single cask single malt whisky |
| Cask type | 28L French oak (Char: Medium) |
| Content volume | 700ml |
| Number of bottles sold | Limited to 21 bottles |
| Suggested Retail Price | Retail price |
| Arrival date | February 2025 |
2-3. Prices offered at BAR Shinkai
At “BAR Shinkai” operated by this site, we offer the product in small quantities such as45ml: 4,290 yenperglass, 30ml: 2,860 yen, 15ml: 1,430 yen, etc.
3. Manufacturer
Kanosuke Komasa Distillery Co.
| Establishment | August 2021 |
| Head office location | 845-3 Gannokawa, Hiyoshi-cho, Hioki-shi, Kagoshima 899-2421 |
| Owned distillery | KANOSUKE Distillery |
4. Distilleries
KANOSUKE distillery
| Location | 845-3, Gannokawa, Hiyoshi-cho, Hioki-shi, Kagoshima 899-2421 |
| Start of operation | 2017 |
The KANOSUKE Distillery is located on a 9,000㎡ site along Fukiage Beach on the west coast of Kagoshima Prefecture.
The U-shaped, two-story main building houses distilling facilities, a BAR with a great view, and a store selling original goods.
The main feature of the distillery is that it is equipped with three pot stills (large, medium, and small). Each has a capacity of 6,000 liters, 3,000 liters, and 1,600 liters, respectively.
Worldwide, craft distilleries (small distilleries) generally have two stills. whisky is usually distilled twice, and by using pot stills with different shapes of necks and angles of line arms at the top during the second distillation (redistillation), the aroma and flavor of the original whisky can be more richly changed.
Fukiage beach, where the distillery is located, is one of the “Three Great Sand Dunes of Japan” and has been selected as one of the “100 Best Sandy Beaches in Japan. The beach stretches about 47 km from north to south, and strong winds blow in from the sea. The area is hot in the summer and cold in the winter, with temperatures near zero degrees Celsius, and snow flurries are not uncommon.
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For more information about the KANOSUKE Distillery, please see this article.
4. Summary
This distillery was bottled after 3 years of aging, but the environment of Kagoshima and the size of the distillery (28L) gave it a very deep color and a matured taste.
The overall finish has a sense of polyphenol, and the French oak single cask of KANOSUKE is quite luxurious and rich.
It will be available only at BAR Shinkai, so KANOSUKE fans are encouraged to try it.
For past products from the 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.
