Nine Leaves Encrypted II 2017

Nine Leaves Encrypted II 2017 is a pot still molasses rum from the Japanese producer Nine Leaves, aged two years and finished in Sherry and wine casks. Nine Leaves is known for treating rum with a whisky maker's sensibility, and this release leans into that overlap more than most.

Bottled at 58%, it is heavily shaped by its casks, with Sherry, white wine and a sake like edge running through pastry, vanilla, apricot and nuts. The palate turns smoky and salty with a whisky like character, finishing on roast, black pepper and oak. Despite its youth it shows surprising depth, the result of active cask work rather than long ageing. This is a distinctive, experimental dram that will intrigue drinkers who enjoy sherried and wine finished whiskies and want to see those ideas applied to Japanese rum.