Ghost Series #15 is a 4-year-old Akashi single malt from 2016, given its final year in tawny port cask #61966 and bottled at cask strength in 2021. Just 849 bottles were filled.
About This Whisky
The whisky started as Akashi single malt matured in sherry and bourbon barrels. These were then vatted together into one tawny port cask for about a year before bottling. It was bottled at 61.5% ABV without chill filtration. The Ghost Series is a run of Japanese whisky releases selected by the whisky writer Stefan Van Eycken, and this edition was picked with Hideo Yamaoka.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Prunes, dark fruit and dried leaves, with light spice and a tangy, sweet potato note.
- Palate: Deep and dark, with rich fortified-wine fruit; water brings out dark chocolate.
- Finish: Firm tannins and nuttiness, with a touch of bitterness, mint and cinnamon.
Serving & Food
At 61.5% ABV, use a small pour in a nosing glass and add water gradually; the chocolate comes through with dilution. Pair with dark chocolate, dried figs or a slice of Christmas cake.
How to Enjoy
Fans of big, fortified-cask Japanese malts and small-batch releases.
Product Details
Distillery: Eigashima Shuzo (White Oak Distillery)
Brand: Akashi
Series: Ghost Series #15
Vintage: 2016
Bottled: 2021
Age: 4 years
Cask: Sherry and bourbon casks, finished about one year in tawny port cask #61966
Outturn: 849 bottles
ABV: 61.5%
Volume: 500mL
Region: Hyogo, Japan
Origin: Japan
About the Distillery
Eigashima Shuzo was founded in 1888 in the port town of Akashi in Hyogo, on the Seto Inland Sea, as a sake and shochu maker. It received a licence to make whisky in 1919.
Whisky stayed a sideline for decades. Its first 'White Oak' whisky was a blend of neutral spirit and flavourings, a common approach in Japan at the time, and when malt distilling began the stills ran for only a couple of months a year, fitted in between the sake and shochu seasons.