Nishi Shuzo’s Ontake Distillery in Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture, has finally released its first distillery single malt whisky [Ontake THE FIRST EDITION 2023].
Ontake distillery, the third distillery in Kyushu after Tsunuki and Kanosuke, has finally announced the release of their single malt whisky in 2019.
Ontake Distillery’s first single malt Japanese whisky, which makes full use of 180 years of distilling technology, has been completed.
This is Japanese whisky. We want to make something that we can proudly say that about. Our whisky making started from that pure desire. The first bottle has finally been completed.
It’s not about aiming for the world. It will be a whiskey that the world will aim for.
We are proud to present this authentic Japanese whisky from Satsuma, Japan, so that even those who have drunk it can be convinced of this.
Tasting Notes
Beautifully clear, slightly reddish amber color. The aroma is very aromatic and rich, with a well-balanced blend of rich sweetness like baked apple, pear compote, and apricot, freshness like citrus peel, spice, and a toasty savory note.
This is the third distillery in Kagoshima Prefecture, following Hombo Shuzo’s Mars Tsunuki Distillery and Komasa Brewery’s Kanosuke Distillery. Mitake” refers to Sakurajima, which seems to be the official name of Sakurajima since ancient times. The distillery is located on a hilltop overlooking Kinko Bay and Mitake (Sakurajima) with over 1,000 liters of natural soft water gushing out every minute.
Kagoshima Golf Resort was acquired in February 2011; in 2019, a whiskey distilling facility was built in the golf resort.
There are two pot stills: one first distiller and one redistiller. Both are designed with the line arm facing upward, so that heavy flavor components are dropped and only “fruity and deep flavor components” are extracted. The distillery’s goal is to use a clean, mouthwatering new pot, with a mellow fruit aroma, a balanced flavor, and a clear mouthfeel that glides down the throat.
The distillery also made a splash in 2019 with the release of its craft gin “尽～tsukusu-“, which is the result of extracting a total of 24 botanicals.
At “BAR Shinkai,” we offer it in small quantities, such as one glass, 45 ml: 3,960 yen, 30 ml: 2,640 yen, 15 ml: 1,320 yen,
For more information on Ontake THE FIRST EDITION 2023, please see this article.
