Matsui Single Cask 6YR Sakura Japanese Whisky

Distilled by the Kurayoshi Distillery in Tottori Prefecture — a micro-distillery producing Japanese spirits since 1910, nestled in the foothills of Mount Daisen — this rare single-cask release rested a full six years in a Japanese sakura (cherry blossom) wood cask, a material almost never used for whisky maturation anywhere in the world. Double-distilled in traditional pot stills and matured in Tottori's natural mountain climate, it's reduced to bottling strength using pure Mount Daisen spring water, then bottled non-chill filtered with no added color. The result is expressive and fresh, marked distinctly by the sakura influence: notes of cherry blossom, vanilla, and subtle baking spice sit atop a smooth, malty base with orchard fruit and delicate floral sweetness. The finish is long and dry, gently spiced, with lingering wood and blossom notes that carry the sakura character all the way through.

ABOUT THE CASK & DISTILLERY
Sakura holds deep cultural significance in Japan, long used as a metaphor for the fleeting, ephemeral nature of beauty — and, by extension, of life itself. Using its wood to mature whisky is a distinctly Japanese innovation, rarely attempted elsewhere. Kurayoshi Distillery draws its water from Mount Daisen's generous snowfall and has built a reputation on blind-tasting competition wins, bringing over a century of sake, shochu, and brandy expertise to bear on its whisky production.

STYLE: SINGLE MALT JAPANESE WHISKY, SINGLE CASK
AGE: 6 YEARS
CASK: JAPANESE SAKURA (CHERRY BLOSSOM) WOOD, SINGLE CASK
MASH BILL: 100% MALTED BARLEY
SPECIAL NOTES: NON-CHILL FILTERED, NATURAL COLOR; SAKURA CASK MATURATION IS A RARE TECHNIQUE SELDOM USED ANYWHERE IN THE WHISKY WORLD