If any distillery in the post-Chichibu wave of small craft or independent producers could claim the title of "hype beast," it would probably be Shizuoka. The distillery produces some punchy and flavorsome malt. Beyond good whisky, the distillery attracts a rabid following due to its distillation setup. It includes a wood-fired still, denoted as WS on the label, and a still sourced from the lost Karuizawa distillery, marked as KS. The majority of Shizuoka malt combines these two stills and is matured in octaves or other smaller format casks.

Whisky: Shizuoka 3 Year (2018) Cask 2018-277 for Whisky Peeps

Country/Region: Japan

ABV: 63.6%

Cask: Bourbon Octave

Age: 3 Years (Distilled 26 Dec. 2018, Bottled 17 May 2022)

Nose: Big cedar wood and pepper, slightly floral, pine, citrus, wispy smoke with incense or burning wood, minerals and salt.

Palate: Medium-bodied and slightly waxy, cedar and vanilla, sweet citrus, wispy smoke and minerals, burning sage, white pepper and hints of menthol.

Finish: Long and lingering with cedar wood and mineral smoke.

Score: 6+

Mental Image: Godzilla in the Zen Garden

Narrative & Notes: Big cedar wood wafted out of the glass as if swinging open the doors to a well-appointed ryokan. Slightly floral at times with pine tip tea, preserved persimmons, oranges, and dried tangerines. Wispy smoke mainly sat in the background, shifting between burning incense or a burning bonsai tree in a rock garden as mineral notes clung close to the smoke with a kiss of salt. Medium-bodied and slightly waxy, the flavor profile featured ample warm cedar and preserved citrus with musky vanilla pods. Key lime and persimmon rode out on a concentrated fruity citrus— provisions to keep away scurvy surely— while pine tips and a wispy mineral smoke offered up more tranquil notions of a rock garden. Burning sage and white pepper arrived with a touch of cooling menthol. The finish was long and lingered with big cedar wood, pepper, and mineral smoke.

Shizuoka is undoubtedly the hottest Japanese distillery of its generation, having far and away blown by its peers in terms of reputation and demand. A quick look at just about any online auction reveals an absolutely rabid demand for the malt and, as one commentator once told me, if I want to be a legitimate whisky reviewer, then the more something sells, the higher I should rate it.

Overall, delightful and unique. A friend picked up this bottle in Japan for about USD 175. That may seem like an elevated price for a three-year malt, but I have seen them list for twice, if not four times, as much. I am bullish on the distillery and its future, though I hesitate to recommend paying the price these malts often command, as I know I will not.