Masahiro Kujira Inari

Kujira Inari is a rice whisky from the Masahiro distillery in Itoman, Okinawa, produced in the tradition of the island's awamori heritage. Distilled from rice using koji fermentation, Kujira is labelled as a Ryukyu Whisky, a style native to Okinawa that sits outside the conventional malt and grain whisky categories. This NAS release is bottled at 46% and was selected for the French market.

The liquid matures in a combination of Ex-Bourbon and White Oak Virgin casks in Okinawa's subtropical heat, where rapid wood uptake imparts vanilla, toasted cereal and a warm tropical sweetness that is characteristic of the region. The virgin oak contributes an additional layer of spice and caramel, rounding out the rice spirit's naturally light, clean base. The result is an approachable, distinctly southern Japanese expression with a lightly warming finish.