Shizuoka United S

Shizuoka United S is a NAS cask strength single malt from Gaiaflow's Shizuoka distillery in Shizuoka prefecture, drawing on multiple cask fills to represent the distillery's full production range in a single unified release. The 2022 global bottling, presented in a 700ml format at 50.5%, offers more flavour data than most United S releases and gives a clear picture of the character the distillery was developing in its first years of maturation.

Matured in Ex-Bourbon casks and bottled at 50.5%, the profile spans fresh fruit and a light yeastiness, a mossy, earthy note alongside fresh cereal and oily new-wood spice, with a thread of smoke running through the finish. The combination reflects both the cedar washback influence that Gaiaflow builds into its fermentation and the direct, energetic quality of the Shizuoka new make, which arrives in the glass with obvious youth but also a clarity that distinguishes the distillery within the modern Japanese craft scene.