Nagahama Amahagan World Malt

Amahagan World Malt is a blended malt made at Nagahama Distillery, a small pot-still operation opened in 2016 in a brewpub on the shores of Lake Biwa in Shiga prefecture. As with all expressions in the World Malt range, the liquid combines Nagahama's own malt with whisky from other regions, and no all-Japanese origin is claimed. This NAS expression was released in 2019 for global markets at 47%.

The whisky builds its base character in Ex-Bourbon casks before finishing in Yamazakura wood, a Japanese cherry wood associated with the Sasanokawa Shuzo tradition in Fukushima. Cherry wood is known for lending a distinctive floral, lightly sweet note distinct from both oak and mizunara, often adding a hint of cherry blossom and soft fruit alongside the vanilla already contributed by the bourbon barrels. The finish is gentle and aromatic.