Sakurao Single Malt Japanese Whisky 700ml

DESCRIPTION: For decades the house behind this bottle was known for Togouchi — whisky matured in a disused railway tunnel running beneath the Hiroshima mountains, but blended from spirit brought in from overseas. Sakurao changes that story entirely. Built in 2017 on the shores of the Seto Inland Sea and opened the following year, the distillery finally gave the company a way to make Japanese whisky that is Japanese from start to finish: distilled, matured and bottled in Hiroshima. This is the flagship of that new era, and the distillery's first single malt. Lightly peated, it spends its early years across ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and virgin American oak before several months of finishing in Mizunara — the notoriously porous, hard-to-work Japanese oak that lends incense, sandalwood and coconut where European and American casks would not. Bottled without chill filtration at 43%. Vanilla and citrus lead on the nose, giving way to malted barley, pear and raisin with a wisp of smoke and a faint coastal salinity. The palate follows through with orange peel, honey and spiced oak over a light, drying bitterness — coffee grounds and cocoa — before a creamy finish carrying apple, cinnamon and the last of that gentle peat. A characterful, well-priced introduction to a distillery still early in its story, and a genuine point of difference on the shelf next to the more familiar Japanese names. TASTING NOTES: Nose: Vanilla and citrus, barley malt, pear and raisin, with florals, faint sea air and a hint of peat smoke Palate: Vanilla sweetness, orange peel, raisins, honey and spicy oak, with coffee and a light bitterness Finish: Creamy and moderate, with apple, cinnamon, malt and bitter cocoa over lingering smoke FEATURES: Origin: Hiroshima, Japan Distillery: Sakurao Distillery Style: Lightly peated single malt Maturation: Ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and virgin American oak, finished in Mizunara Non Chill Filtered ABV: 43% Size: 700ml Standard Drinks: 23.7