Miyashita Distillery (宮下蒸留所, https://www.msb.co.jp/whisky/ ) is a relatively unknown distillery in Japan, not even many Japanese know of it’s existence. It is known for mainly Nishonshu (JP rice wine) and Shochu (distilled JP spirits).

For their 100th anniversary, they decided to use their facilities and manufacture something special, a single malt whisky made using barley from both Japan and Germany. According to the website, it was matured between 3-5 years, in sherry, brandy, and even the legendary mizunara barrels.

I was introduced to this whisky in a boutique store called “Whisky Lovers” in Okayama city. I procured a 100ml sample bottle for about 3000 yen.

My thoughts on the dram below:

Nose: Fantastic. Very strong notes of sherry, dried tropical fruits and raisins. An olfactory pleasure.

Palate: Surprisingly weak after such a strong performance on the nose. You can taste the sherry followed by a hint of brandy, but it is oh so fleeting. There is also slight mint when you try to drink more at one go. For what it’s worth, the Okayama Whisky is easy to drink and very desserty. However, the mouth feel and the complexity fall short of what I expect after such a lofty marketing spiel on the website. Definitely could do with a higher intensity, if only this was cask strength …..

Finish: Short. Cherry and mild coconut in the aftertaste. The fruity taste lingers.

Conclusion:

If this was priced at a more reasonable 4000-6000 yen, the purchase would have almost been a non brainer. But alas, this comes at a RRP of 15000 yen BEFORE taxes. For the price, you can get better scotches (eg. 2 bottles of Macallan 12, sherry cask and double cask, both of which trounce the flavors of this Okayama Whisky) or even sherried expressions from other makers (the Kavalan Solist Sherry cask knocks the pants off this at a similar price point purchased in Taiwan).

For collectors. Enthusiasts looking for an interesting sherry whisky experience will be better served elsewhere at this price, a good whisky, but priced too high.

Advertisement