Matsui Shuzo The Kurayoshi 5 Years Old

The Kurayoshi 5 Years Old is a blended malt from Matsui Shuzo, based in Tottori on Japan's Sea of Japan coast. Matsui Shuzo built its reputation on the Kurayoshi range, early expressions of which drew on sourced malt stocks while the company's own distillery programme developed; this 5 Years Old release, bottled in 2022 for the Japanese domestic market, carries a stated age and sits at a characterful 46%.

Maturation is entirely in Oloroso sherry casks, which lend the expected dark dried-fruit and chocolate richness alongside warming spice and a long, gently bitter finish. At 46% the spirit holds good weight without tipping into heat, and the sherry wood keeps the younger spirit's edges in check. A straightforward, well-defined blended malt from Tottori.