Shizuoka 4 Years Old 2019 Cask #1129 (Blackadder)

Shizuoka 4 Years Old 2019 Cask #1129 is a single cask single malt from Gaiaflow's Shizuoka distillery in Shizuoka prefecture, selected by Scottish independent Blackadder and released for the European market in 2023. Unlike the majority of Shizuoka single casks in this collection, which mature in Ex-Bourbon, this 2019 vintage cask spent its four years in a wine cask, adding a different dimension to the distillery's typically clean, citric new make character.

At 64% cask strength, the wine cask will have contributed red or dark berry fruit, a light tannin structure and a gentle sweetness that frames the spirit differently from bourbon wood. Specific flavour data is not recorded for this cask, but wine cask maturation at Shizuoka tends to build on the distillery's inherent fruitiness, giving the finished whisky more colour and a broader, more vinous flavour spectrum than the bourbon-matured releases. The Shizuoka cedar-washback freshness typically holds through wine cask maturation, giving the palate a clean, lively base.