Kumesen Distillery Co., Ltd. Kujira 5 Years Old

Kujira is the rice grain whisky produced by Kumesen Distillery Co., Ltd., an established awamori brewer on Kumejima island in Okinawa Prefecture. The 5 Years Old is among the younger expressions in the range, distilled from rice using the house's deep fermentation heritage and released for the European market at 43%.

Maturation takes place in virgin white oak casks, which Kumesen uses alongside Ex-Bourbon wood, and the tropical Okinawan climate accelerates the exchange between spirit and wood considerably. The result shows fresh fruit, hay-like cereal brightness and new wood spice, with a thread of vanilla that the virgin oak imparts early. Subtle and light, it carries the clean, gentle character that subtropical ageing tends to produce in this style.