Akashi Blue Label Blended Japanese Whisky 70 cl 40%

Salt hangs in the air over the Akashi Strait, and the ferries have been drawing their lines across the water for as long as anyone can remember. Sake has been brewed on this shore since 1888. The whisky arrived almost as an afterthought and simply stayed — still shaped by the house around it, by small stills and by a toji's hand on the process.

The expert's description

Akashi Blue Label Blended Japanese Whisky is a Blended Japanese Whisky matured in American white oak shochu casks and finished in sherry casks and bourbon casks, bottled at 40%.

Behind the bottle sits Eigashima Shuzo in the town of Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, better known in whisky circles as White Oak Distillery. The house was granted its whisky licence back in 1919, but only put it to serious use in the mid-1960s when the first small pot stills went in. Whisky is still only part of the year for them: sake through the winter, shochu in spring, whisky in June and July.

Those small stills matter. A smaller pot produces a spirit lower in fusel alcohols, which makes the new make gentler from the outset. That is why Akashi can get away with shorter maturation without the whisky tasting raw.

The cask history is the unusual part. The blend of malt and grain whisky first rests in American white oak casks that previously held shochu — that is where the dry, faintly herbal thread comes from. After that it spends time in sherry casks and bourbon casks, which layer vanilla, dried fruit and spice on top. Blue Label is a permanent part of the Akashi range and carries no age statement.

Tasting notes

Nose

Orange peel and marmalade first, then honey and vanilla. Warm oak sits behind it with a small scattering of white pepper.

Palate

Ginger, cinnamon and black pepper up front. Toasted oak follows, with dried apricots and a citrus brightness. A faint wisp of smoke in the background — closer to the smell of a bonfire than to peat.

Finish

Long for the strength. Spicy and sweet at the same time, with dry oak lingering at the very end.

Specifications

Name: Akashi Blue Label Blended Japanese Whisky
Distillery: Eigashima Shuzo
Region/Country: Akashi Hyogo Japan
Type: Blended Japanese Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American white oak shochu casks, finished in sherry casks and bourbon casks
EAN no.: 4969265722156

Flavour profile

Fruity · Spicy · Vanilla · Sherry-matured · Gentle

Did you know?

Eigashima Shuzo received its state whisky licence in 1919 — four years before Yamazaki even broke ground. The paperwork then gathered dust for almost half a century before the house properly started making whisky.

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Frequently asked questions about Akashi Blue Label Blended Japanese Whisky

What makes Akashi Blue Label different from other Japanese blends?

The shochu casks. Very few whiskies anywhere are matured in casks that once held Japanese shochu, and they bring a dry, faintly herbal thread you will not find in a standard bourbon or sherry matured blend. On top of that, production is overseen by a toji, a sake master brewer, carried over from the house's sake side.

What does Akashi Blue Label taste like?

Spicy and fruity at once. Orange peel, honey and vanilla on the nose, then ginger, cinnamon and dried apricots on the palate, closing with a long sweet finish and dry oak. It is gentle and approachable rather than heavy.

Does Akashi Blue Label work in a Highball?

Yes, it is practically built for one. The 40% and the soft, spicy style hold up against soda water without disappearing, and the citrus notes come forward with carbonation. Use plenty of ice, cold water and a slice of lemon.

Should it be served with ice or without?

Try it neat first. At 40% it is already gentle, and a single cube or a few drops of water is enough to open up the fruit. A lot of ice flattens the spice, though it does make the whisky easier drinking on a warm evening.

Which glass suits Japanese whisky best?

A tulip-shaped nosing glass if you want the aromas. The narrow rim concentrates the nose, which counts for a lot on a whisky carrying this much citrus and spice. For a Highball, reach for a tall, thin-walled glass instead. Browse our whisky glasses.

Who is behind Akashi whisky?

Eigashima Shuzo in the town of Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, which makes whisky under the White Oak Distillery name. The house began as a sake brewery in 1888 and still produces sake, shochu, wine and whisky in the same site facing the Seto Inland Sea.

Is Akashi Blue Label a good gift for a whisky enthusiast?

Yes, particularly for someone who has never tried Japanese whisky. The shochu casks give it a story to tell, the profile suits most palates, and it works both neat and in a Highball. See the rest of our Japanese Whisky.

How should the bottle be stored?

Upright, dark and cool. Whisky does not develop in the bottle the way wine does, but light and heat dull the aromas, and laying a bottle down lets the alcohol eat away at the cork over time. An opened bottle keeps its flavour best if finished within a year or so.