Blended Japanese Whisky – Matsui Whisky – Made in Japan
The Tottori is a blended whiskey from Matsui Shuzo in Japan. Here, there has long been a tradition of mixing the local whiskey with Scotch whisky, and several of the components in the blended therefore come from Scotland. However, it is still, according to the law, “Made in Japan”! Tottori is aged for 3 years in “toasted oak” casks and bottled at 43% without chill filtration.
Colour: Gold.
Aroma: Mild spices, vanilla and light chocolate.
Tasting notes: Soft, sweet. Vanilla, cereal and light fruit, with a hint of black pepper in the aftertaste.
Serving suggestion: Enjoy it neat or in a classic Highball.
Kurayoshi Distillery is located at the foot of Mt. The Daisen in Tottori, Japan. The location was chosen because of the good spring water, which Kurayoshi believes is one of the most essential parts of a good whisky, but also because of the climate. The temperature fluctuates a lot, and this causes a greater interaction between the spirit and the cask – therefore it is believed that the whiskey “ripens” faster than, for example, in Scotland. A large number of different types of casks are used, e.g. of the Japanese oak type, mizunara, but also casks made of e.g. cherry wood, wine casks and sherry casks.
The distillery is owned by the company Matsui Shuzo, which has been making shochu since 1910! They only got the license for whiskey production in 2015, in the wake of a huge whiskey boom in Japan, and in 2018 Matsui got another license for a distillery in Baba, Tottori.
In the 2020 edition of Jim Murray’s “Whisky Bible”, The Matsui Mizunara Cask was named Japanese Single Malt of the Year!
