Okayama Single Malt
Whisky : Okayama Single Malt
Country/Region : Japan
ABV : 43%
Cask : Mizunara Oak, Ex-Brandy/Sherry
Age : 3 Years
Nose : Light and sweet, notes of green grapes and honeycomb flit out of the glass. Dry antique wood and sweet malty cereals develop some additional complexity.
Palate : Mellow cereal notes lead the way— straight into the sweet rubbery taste of a new bicycle tire. There are lovely notes of malted barley sugar, graham cracker, and hints of cedar spice and sandalwood. However, those notes are more a tentative tease than anything, and mostly run over by the rubber tire.
Finish : Medium finish with a dry white wine sweetness.
Score : 3
Mental Image : New Bicycle.
Something Better : Westland Cask #2479 K&L Selection (more sandalwood and fruity sherry notes)
Something Better : Arran Smuggler Series Vol. 2 (similar wood space, more florals & maritime)
Something Better : Amrut Single Malt Peated (similar rubber slipper, more fruits and earthy notes)
Notes : This Okayama was distilled exclusively with Japanese malted barley from the Okayama Prefecture which makes it unique among Japanese distilling operations who typically source malt from around the country or Scottish malting companies. I am not sure whether this applies to just this particular single malt expression or if it applies to all of the single malt that Okayama produces as they also have a 40% abv product that seems pretty similar.
The Distillery received its whisky license in 2011 and has since added regular whisky distillation seasons into its production cycle of local spirits, such as sake. The distillery employs a long fermentation at low temperatures, following the same approach to single malt as it does sake, in order to produce a clean and refreshing palate of flavors.
I find it really commendable that Okayama is so dedicated to the terroir of production— focusing on locally malted barley, local water sources, and local distilling techniques. However, the whisky just is not to my taste, especially considering the price premium demanded for Japanese whisky.
I cannot say I have ever wanted to taste a new bicycle tire— but the flavor, or the impression of the flavor, is not all that bad. There is a lot of possibility here, it just does not really work. If I had to guess, I would say the issue might be more cask than distillation process. Some of those rubbery bicycle notes remind me strongly of off-sherry or brandy notes. I would love to try more Okayama to figure out if it was cask or process, but considering the price and limited availability, I will not hold my breath.
