Nagahama 4 Years Old 2018

Nagahama 4 Years Old 2018 is a single malt from Nagahama Distillery, the small pot-still house opened in 2016 on the shores of Lake Biwa in Shiga prefecture. Distilled in 2018 and bottled in 2022 at 61.2% cask strength, this single cask expression was selected for European markets. At four years old it sits squarely in the youthful age range that Nagahama has worked with during its early years of production, exploring a range of cask types to understand how its distillate develops.

This particular cask matures in a bourbon barrel alone, without a secondary finish, which places the focus squarely on the distillery's new make character and the interaction between the spirit and American oak. Bourbon barrels at full cask strength and relatively young age tend to give vanilla, lighter cereal grain, a hint of orchard fruit and a clean, direct sweetness. The high ABV of 61.2% carries heat alongside the fruit, and adding water progressively opens the spirit and softens the oak.