Kumesen Distillery Co., Ltd. Kujira 12 Years Old

Kujira 12 Years Old draws on Kumesen Distillery Co., Ltd.'s long heritage as an awamori brewer on Kumejima island, Okinawa Prefecture, applying that rice-fermentation tradition to a single grain whisky aged in Spanish oak Oloroso sherry casks. Released at 40% for the European market, it stands apart within the Kujira lineup as the expression most shaped by sherry wood.

Oloroso maturation in the Okinawan subtropical climate produces a notably rich result: the combination of island heat and sherry-seasoned wood delivers chocolate, a bright citric note and fragrant dried fruit, with the cereal sweetness of rice grain whisky threading through underneath. The warmth of Kumejima keeps the oak integration lively without losing freshness, giving the 12 Years Old a complexity that belies the modest bottling strength.