White Oak 2018 Akashi HY Ghost Series No. 18 (Hideo Yamaoka)

White Oak 2018 Akashi HY Ghost Series No. 18 is a single malt from Eigashima Shuzo, distilled at the Hyogo distillery in 2018 and bottled in 2022 by independent bottler Hideo Yamaoka for the Japan domestic market. At 3 Years Old and cask strength 62% in a 500ml format, this release forms part of the Ghost Series, a named sub-line within the Hideo Yamaoka Akashi programme.

Ex-Bourbon maturation over three years at cask strength typically delivers the clean, fresh and grain-forward character associated with young Eigashima malt: vanilla, light cereal and the bright, new-make energy that the distillery's spirit retains at this age. The Ghost Series designation adds a collectable dimension to what is otherwise a straightforward young single cask expression, and the high cask strength ensures the spirit character is preserved with nothing lost to reduction.