SP19 Hatozaki Malt Whisky - Triple Cask Reserve
Crafted at the Kaikyō Distillery in Akashi City by fourth-generation Master Distiller Kimio Yonezawa, Triple Cask Reserve is a blend of hand-selected malt whiskies matured first in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, then finished for six months in rare Umeshu plum liqueur casks — a technique Yonezawa notes is seldom used in whisky-making anywhere in the world. Umeshu, a traditional Japanese liqueur made by steeping green plums in alcohol, lends the finished whisky a layer of zesty citrus, herbal tea-like notes, and gentle plum sweetness that sets it apart from more conventional expressions. Golden in color and non-chill filtered with no added coloring, it opens on the nose with fragrant oak spice, black tea, and orange peel, followed by dried apricot and a soft vanilla note over lightly toasted barley. The palate brings gentle oak spiciness, dried citrus peel, and the distinctive Umeshu influence, moving into deeper wood tones through the mid-palate, before finishing long, rounded, and warm — carrying subtle sweetness from both the sherry and plum-liqueur casks.
ABOUT THE DISTILLERY & NAME
Like the rest of the Hatozaki range, Triple Cask Reserve takes its name from the Hatozaki Lighthouse — the oldest stone lighthouse in Japan, guiding ships into the port of Akashi since 1620. The whisky is produced at the Kaikyō Distillery, founded in 2018 on the site of the historic Akashi Sake Brewery (established by the Yonezawa family in 1856), where the maritime climate of Japan's southern coast provides distinctive maturation conditions. Yonezawa describes the result as a "world whisky" — one that blends international distilling influences with generations of Japanese craftsmanship, refined under the standards of the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association.
STYLE: BLENDED MALT (WORLD) WHISKY, UMESHU CASK FINISH
MATURATION: EX-BOURBON AND EX-SHERRY CASKS, FINISHED 6 MONTHS IN UMESHU PLUM LIQUEUR CASKS
MASTER DISTILLER: KIMIO YONEZAWA (FOURTH GENERATION)
SPECIAL NOTES: ONE OF THE FEW WHISKIES IN THE WORLD FINISHED IN UMESHU PLUM LIQUEUR CASKS; A PERMANENT ADDITION TO HATOZAKI'S CORE RANGE ALONGSIDE FINEST AND SMALL BATCH
