Japanese whisky “Kanosuke HIOKI POT STILL”, the second standard product after “Single Malt Kanosuke”, will be released from the Komasa Kanosuke Distillery on December 1.
It is distilled at the distillery in Hioki, Japan, using a new type of Japanese pot still inspired by Irish pot stills. What is the new Japanese whisky produced by the Yoshinosuke Komasa Distillery?
1. Single Malt Kanosuke HIOKI POT STILL
Image source: Kanosuke Distillery Official HP
The Hioki Distillery was originally the shochu distillery that produced Komasa Shuzo’s signature product, the “Kozuru” series, and “KOMASA GIN” was also made at the distillery. Following the Kanosuke Distillery, the Hioki Brewery will obtain a whisky production license in 2020 and begin producing grain whisky, and this will be the first release.
“Kanosuke HIOKI POT STILL” is made from barley and malt at the Hioki Distillery, saccharified and fermented in a unique process, carefully distilled in a single distiller, and stored in new American white oak and bourbon barrels at the Kanosuke Distillery.
Please enjoy this powerful yet gentle new Japanese whisky, nurtured in “Hioki”, “the place where the sun sets like the sun set.”
Reference: Kanosuke Distillery’s official website
2. Product Specifications
| Product name | Kanosuke HIOKI POT STILL |
| Ingredients | Barley, malt |
| Barrels | Bourbon barrels, new American white oak barrels |
| Alcohol Content | 51％ |
| Volume | 700ml |
| Suggested Retail Price | 12,100 yen (tax included) |
■TASTING NOTE
Color: deep tortoiseshell
Aroma: Buttersand, kabosu, apricot, plum compote
Taste: madeleine, oaky, moderately salty, marmalade, warm tangerine
Aftertaste: vanilla, dry ginger, gentle sweetness lingers for a long time
Reference: Kanosuke Distillery official website
3. About Komasa Brewery
3-1. Manufacturer
Yoshinosuke Komasa Distillery Co.
| Establishment | August 2021 |
| Head office | 845-3 Gannokawa, Hiyoshi-cho, Hioki-shi, Kagoshima 899-2421 |
| Owned distillery | Kanosuke Distillery |
3-2. Kanosuke Distillery
Kanosuke Distillery
| Location | 845-3 Gannokawa, Hiyoshi-cho, Hioki-shi, Kagoshima 899-2421 |
| Start of operation | 2017 (the first year of operation) |
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The Kanosuke Distillery stands on a 9,000 m2 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.
Craft distilleries (small distilleries) around the world 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. It is hot in the summer and cold in the winter, with temperatures near zero degrees Celsius, and snow flurries are not uncommon.
3-3. Hioki Distillery
Hioki Distillery
| Location | 3309 Hioki, Hiyoshi-cho, Hioki-shi, Kagoshima 899-3101 |
| Start of operation | 1883 |
Originally started out making sake for the Hioki-Hachiman Shrine and distilling authentic shochu. Today, the company manufactures and sells liqueurs, spirits, and whisky. Its representative brand is the “Kozuru” series of potato shochu.
Among them, “Mellowed Kozuru” has its own unique manufacturing process and proprietary know-how, such as being recharged and used in single malt Kanosuke.
The distiller is a stainless steel straight vertical distiller used for shochu.
Image source: Kanosuke Distillery Official HP
The whiskey produced at Hioki is “grain whisky,” but it differs from the continuous distillation process normally used for grain whisky.
At Hioki, whisky is distilled under reduced pressure in a single-stage distiller, which keeps the distillation rate low. This results in a strong whisky that retains the flavor derived from the ingredients.
This is truly a “Japanese pot still” unique to the Komasa Shuzo, which has a long history of shochu production.
For past products of Kanosuke Distillery, click here↓.
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