“Single Malt Eigashima QUARTET,” the second in a series of whiskies carefully selected and vatted by blender Keita Okawa from a wide variety of whisky bottles, will go on sale on November 27. Characteristics, price, and details are explained.
Following the first “Single Malt Eigashima SEXTET” released in December 2022, the second “Single Malt Eigashima QUARTET” will start shipping and selling sequentially at liquor stores nationwide and on the official EC site from November 27. Keita Okawa, a blender at the Eigashima Distillery, carefully selects and vats a wide variety of whiskies to complete this product. It is already available for purchase on the official EC site.
1. How to purchase
The product will begin shipping and selling sequentially at liquor stores nationwide and on the official EC site from November 27. It is already available for purchase on the official EC site, and will also be shipped after November 27.
Click here for the official EC site sales page.
2. Characteristics of Single Malt Eigashima QRARTET
■Single Malt Eigashima QUARTET Product Description
Product name ”Single Malt Eigashima QUARTET”
Capacity 500ml
Ingredients Malt
Alcohol content 55％
Bottling quantity Unknown, limited quantities available, sales will end when stock is depleted.This product, “Single Malt Eigashima QUARTET,” is a single malt Japanese whisky that, like its predecessor, expresses a quartet by vatting four different types of whisky base whisky, each with a different storage age and type of barrels in which it is aged, in perfect balance.
It is a bottle of our best effort that brings out the gorgeous flavor of Eigashima Distillery’s whisky.[Blender Keita Ohkawa comments]
“SEXTET” released last year showed the depth of Eigashima Shuzo, which has a long history of whisky making, by blending six unique types of casks, including sake casks and potato shochu sherry casks.
The second release, “QUARTET,” is a bottle that shows the evolution of the Eigashima Shuzo in recent years by pursuing the fruity and floral qualities that are the royal road to whisky.
The core is a bourbon cask, and by blending cream sherry cask, port wine cask, and Spanish brandy cask, the aroma has been broadened and made more fruity and gorgeous. Enjoy this quartet of highly aromatic single malts.[Tasting Notes]
Color: Amber gold with a slight reddish hue.
Nose: Fruity and sweet. Fruit basket of orange, banana, pear, green apple, cherry and strawberry. Nuances of honey, vanilla cream, and a little mint. Nuts at the back.
Mouth: fruity and lush sweetness accompanied by light fresh acidity, with soft oak nuances. Fruit and nut tart. Sweet and sour aftertaste lingers pleasantly.
| Product Name | Single Malt Eigashima QUARTET |
| Distinction by alcohol | Single malt Japanese whisky |
| Ingredients | Malt |
| Casks | Bourbon casks, cream sherry casks, port wine casks, Spanish brandy casks |
| Number of bottles | Unknown |
| Degree of alcohol content | 55% (not known) |
| Price | 11,000 yen (tax included) |
| Manufactured at | Eigashima Distillery |
| Producer | EIGASHIMA SHUZO CO.,LTD. |
2. About Eigashima Distillery
1891 Shochu cellar “Niban-kura” completed *Later becomes whisky cellar
1919 Whisky license obtained and distillery established
”White Oak” local whisky is released in the same year
1984 New distillery completed
2007 First single malt whisky “Akashi” 8 years old is released
2019 Name changed from White Oak Distillery to Eigashima Distillery
Two pot stills are replaced with new ones made by Miyake Seisakusho
2020 Release of high-priced “Eigashima” brand
Akashi is made at the White Oak Distillery in Eigashima, Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture.
The distillery is now renamed Eigashima Distillery, and the reason for this is to make it easier for foreign tourists to understand.
A small fishing village, Eigashima enjoys a pleasant year-round climate and benefits from a mild maritime climate right on the Akashi Strait, an inland sea.
The license to produce whisky and wine was obtained in 1919.
The first whisky distillation in Japan took place at the Yamazaki Distillery in 1923, but it was the Eigashima Distillery (formerly White Oak Distillery) in 1919 that received the first patent for whisky distillation in Japan.
The year 1919 was when Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japanese whisky, went to Scotland to study whisky distilling.
It is surprising that the White Oak Distillery existed at an early stage.
However, although a patent was obtained, the correct whisky-making process was not handed down, and it is said that what was being made at the time was imitation whisky that imitated whisky.
Reference: Eigashima Distillery official website
4. Eigashima Distillery’s lineup of past releases
4-1. Akashi Double Blenders Malt Harmony
4-2．INAZUMA World Blended Whisky Extra Selected Edition No.3
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.
