Nine Leaves Encrypted III MK3

Nine Leaves is a small Japanese distillery working from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice, an agricole-style spirit it makes outside any AOC. This Encrypted III MK3 is four years old at cask strength, 58% and unsweetened, the latest turn in the distillery's signature earthy, wine-influenced series.

Pot distilled and matured in ex-bourbon oak with a clear wine-cask layer, it keeps the earthy, nutty character that defines the Encrypted line. The nose carries sake, fruit, raisin and a nutty depth, with notes of chestnut, dark berries, old tobacco and aged paper. The palate brings sour cherry, fruit, nuts and wood, and the finish turns dry with red wine, orange peel and young oak. The sake note is more pronounced here than in earlier releases. Punchy and distinctive, it shows real barrel influence after just four tropical-adjacent years and rewards drinkers who like dry, characterful cane-juice rum.