Review: Kanosuke Double Distillery Japanese Whisky

Sample bottle provided by Kanosuke.

AT A GLANCE

• Owned by: Komasa Jyozo

  Distilled by: Kanosuke Distillery & Hiokio Distillery, Hioki, Japan

• Blended and Bottled by: Kanosuke Distillery

• Spirit Type: Blended Japanese Whisky

• Mash Bill: Malted and Unmalted Balrey

• Still Type: Vacuum & non-vacumm Pot Stills

• Age: NAS (3-5 years)

• Strength: 53% ABV

• Price: $120

Kanosuke Double Distillery Japanese Blended Whisky is the merging of malt and grain whiskies made by the Komasa family at their sister distilleries. The Kanosuke distillery is home to their single malt production while their grain whisky comes from their Hioki distillery, which is about a 10 minute drive down the road. Both distilleries are situated on what is known as Kagoshima's mellow coast. The name refers more the laid back are relaxed character of the region but the weather goes through some dramatic temperature changes throughout the year which aids the whisky's movement in and out of the barrels. The distilleries are situated in a subtropical climate with hot and humid summers and mild winters which are tempered by their proximity to the East China Sea. Between the two distilleries they have 10 pot stills and age their whiskies in five different barrels which gives them a very broad pallet of flavors to draw from to create each expression. For their Double Distillery whisky, they do not specify a mixture of certain barrels so it is fair to assume they are blending for a particular flavor profile rather than a percentage of each barrel type.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: On the nose you notice distinct elements of the constituent whiskies. There is the creamy maltiness and stone fruit elements from the single malt and there are the spicy almost citrus elements coming from the pot still whisky. Both elements layer together nicely.

Palate: The whisky is busting on the palate with flavors of stone fruit, lemon, creamy biscuits, vanilla wafers, toasted oak, hazelnut and there is a distinct, yet subtle peat note that supports the rest of the flavors.

Finish: The finish has an intense drying sensation that calls you back for another sip. The flavor of the whisky lingers for a long time on notes of ripe plum, vanilla, oak, and a light hint of spice from the unmalted barley.

Conclusion: Blended whiskies are sometimes looked down upon as only being fit for highballs or mixing. But Kanosuke's Double Distillery Japanese Whisky is an excellent example of how in the right hands the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. This blend finds all the best elements for both the Kanosuke Single Malt and the Hioki Pot Still and merges them seamlessly into a new singular whole. The whiskey shows great character and maturity and justifies its $120 suggested retail price. This is a great spirit and it is a definite buy for any fan of Japanese whisky.

Malört Cocktails or What to Drink at the End of the World

I am one of those crazy people that loves Malör. But for years I have never really known what to do with it other than enjoy it neat after a meal. However, in the last couple of years a number of intrepid YouTube mixologists (cock-tubers?) have taken on the noble challenge of making or creating cocktails that work with one of the world’s most aggressively bitter liqueurs.

So, whether you love Malört and want new ways to enjoy it, or you bought a bottle as a prank and can’t bring yourself to dump it out, here are a few Malört cocktails you can enjoy now—or save for the apocalypse when most of the other booze is already gone. All jokes aside, if you like grapefruit in your cocktails or jucy IPAs then this cocktials will be right up your alley.

Malört Spritz

• 2 oz Jeppson's Malört

• 1/4 oz fresh grapefruit or lime juice

• Top with grapefruit seltzer

Fill a Collins glass or a large wine glass with ice and add Malört, lime juice, and top with grapefruit soda water.

The fresh juice really helps to tame the the bitterness of the Malört and give the drink more dimension.

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The Forced Retirement

• 3/4 oz. Jeppson's Malört

• 1 oz Gin (preferably a classic juniper forward style gin)

• 1/2 oz Campari

• 3/4 oz passion fruit syrup

• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice

• 3/4 oz grapefruit juice

• Pineapple fronds & cocktail umbrella for garnish

Combine ingredients in a Collins glass, add crushed ice and swizzel until the outside of the glass is frosted. Garnish with pineapple fronds and a cocktail umbrella, add straw and serve. Drink designed by Anders Erickson

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Hard Sell

• 1 oz Gin (preferably a classic juniper forward style gin)

• 1 oz Elderflower liqueur

• 3/4 oz Jeppson’s Malört

• 3/4 ounce lemon juice

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe. Express a grapefruit peel over the surface of the drink and discard.

Created by Brad Bolt

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The Bukowski

• 1 1/2 oz Jeppson’s Malört

• 1/2 oz Drambuie

• 3/4 oz Fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 oz Fresh orange juice

• 1/2 oz honey syrup (1:1 honey and water)

• 5 large Basil leaves

Combine all ingredients to shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Drink designed by Charles Joly

Review: Kanosuke Hioki Pot Still Japanese Whisky

Sample bottle provided by Kanosuke.

AT A GLANCE

• Owned by: Komasa Jyozo

  Distilled & Bottled by: Hioki Distillery, Hioki, Japan

• Spirit Type: Pot Still Japanese Whisky

• Mash Bill: Malted and Unmalted Balrey

• Still Type: Vacuum Pot Stills

• Age: NAS (3-5 years)

• Strength: 51% ABV

• Price: $110

The Hioki distillery is owned by the Komasa family who have been making mugi (barley) shochu since 1883. Today, the distillery has seven stainless steel vacuum pot still which the use for making shochus from barley, sweet potatoes, and rice, as well as a grain whisky made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley. According to the distillery, the wash is fermented for 5 days and reaches 14% ABV, about double compared to their malt wash at Kanosuke. They then double distill the wash using their vacuum stills which they believe allows them to extract more flavor from the grain without as many harsh alcohols and congeners. After distillation, the spirit is aged for a minimum of three years in a combination of new American oak barrels and ex-bourbon barrels. Some of this grain whiskey is then bottled, non-chill filtered at 51% ABV for their Hioki Pot Still Japanese Whisky and some is used to make their Kanosuke blended whisky.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: The whisky has a distinct floral aroma like fresh cut flowers combined with a touch of oak. As the whisky opens sweeter notes of cooked grain and vanilla come to great you.

Palate: The whisky has the distinct flavor of un-malted barley that comes through on the first sip. There is a bright almost sour element that combines with an underlying creaminess almost like buttermilk biscuits and lemon zest. There is also a touch of spiciness that is common with unmalted barley that is more subtle than the spiciness found in rye.

Finish: The finish is light with a warming sensation on the lips and chest from the alcohol but there is also a vanilla sweetness from the oak that floats in the background.

Conclusion: Hioki Post Still Japanese Whisky is an interesting spirit worth sampling however, if you are unfamiliar with other pot still whiskies you may find this a bit unusual. Neat and at room temperature the whisky is good but the sweetness of the whisky really opens with just a splash or water or over a large ice cube. I think this whisky would also work nicely in an Old Fashioned. Here again like with the Kanosuke Single Malt, I think the Hioki Pot Still will show better after more time in the barrel and the underlying qualities of the spirit are allowed to mature. Right now, $110 feels a bit steep but if you told me that they would have an 8 year old version at the same price and a bit more complexity then we are in the ballpark for a full-throated indorsement. Kanosuke is showing incredible potential and if you want to see them survive long enough to produce fantastic whisky there is plenty enough to enjoy now.

The Bitter Liqueur Favored By Two-Fisted Drinkers that has set the Internet on Fire

AT A GLANCE

• Owned, Distilled and Bottled by: CH Distillery, Chicago, IL

• Spirit Type: Besk liqueur

• Strength: 35% ABV

• Price: $28

Jeppson's Malört is the infamous liqueur that revels in how much people hate its taste. And for half a century Chicagoans have been foisting shots of Malört on unsuspecting visitors as a symbol of their love. But for the last 15 years or so Malört has gained an exuberant fan base around the country. Malört is a bitter Swedish-style liqueur known as bäsk or besk that draws its primary flavor and bitterness from wormwood.

Carl Jeppson who was a Swedish immigrant living in Chicago, created Malört in the 1920s. Jeppson originally sold Malört as a medicinal tonic during prohibition and took its name from the Swedish word for wormwood. But in 1933, after the repeal of the 18th Amendment, Jeppson transformed Malört into the liqueur we know today. While other besks use wormwood and other botanicals to flavor the spirit, Jeppson made Malört with just wormwood, alcohol, and a little bit of sugar which does little to tame its bitterness.

In 2012, Malört, which sold almost exclusively in the Chicagoland, began leaning into its bad reputation online as one of the world’s worst liquors “savored by two-fisted drinker”. The hashtag #MalortFace helped spread the reputation of the spirit as the world took pleasure in watching the reactions of the uninitiated taking shots of the bitter liqueur. And today, Malört content is on almost every social media platform. This combined with enclaves of Chicagoans spread across the country, the popularity of Malört has started to grow and the liqueur is now distributed in about 20 states.

For almost all its existence Malört has been a singular expression that has maintained the same formula since its launch in 1933. However, in 2020, CH Distillery, the new owners of Malört, released a limited barrel aged expression. Barrel Aged Malört has since become an annual release around April Fool’s Day and during the winter holidays CH has started releasing very small quantities of distillery exclusive flavored variants such as Thanksgiving Malört and Pumpkin Spice Malört with all proceeds going to charity.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: The nose is bright with a strong aroma of grapefruit oils from the zest and pith supported by the smell grapefruit flesh, white flowers, and a hefty dose of ethanol.

Palate: On the palate the liqueur is an interesting mix of flavors from all parts of the grapefruit. On the tip of the tongue there is sweetness reminiscent of ruby red grapefruit juice which then transitions to the milder sweetness and increased acidity found in pink grapefruit. As the Malört moves back across the tongue there is a crescendo of the bitterness that reaches a zenith of intense bitterness and a light tingling sensation like biting into a grapefruit rind.

Finish: The finish is very long, bitter and with a slight tingle. Here again grapefruit dominates and grips your tongue for dear life, refusing to let go.

Conclusion: While the flavor of Malört is a bit one dimensional, it is also highly underrated. Calling it the world’s worst liquor is all just hype and don't believe those exaggerated descriptions of burning rubber or dumpster fire. Malört is very intense, and if you are a fan of other bitter liqueurs such as fernet or Campari then you should give it a shot. Malört is in the same ballpark as these other, more well know bitters, just turned up to 11. And while it may be fun to torture your friends with shot, Malört can also be used successfully as a bittering agent in cocktails. It pairs, well with fresh citrus juice, works well in a spritz, and in the right proportions, it can play nicely with gin and other botanical infused spirits.

Review: Kanosuke Single Malt Japanese Whisky

Sample bottle provided by Kanosuke

AT A GLANCE

• Owned by: Komasa Jyozo

  Distilled & Bottled by: Kanosuke Distillery, Hioki, Japan

• Spirit Type: Japanese Single Malt Whisky

• Mash Bill: 10% Japanese Malted Barley, 90% Malted Barley from UK & Australia

• Still Type: Pot Stills

• Age: NAS (3-5 years)

• Strength: 48% ABV

• Price: $100

Yoshitsugu Komasa founded Kanosuke Distillery in 2014 and it opened in 2017. The distillery is named after Komasa's grandfather Kanosuke Komasa. Komasa comes from a family of shochu distillers who have been making single distilled mugi (barley) shochu since 1883. Before founding Kanosuke, Komasa earned a Master's degrees in brewing from Tokyo University's Graduate School and served as a General Manager at the family business, Komasa Jyozo. Later, Komasa studies whisky making in Scotland and the United States. Kanosuke Distillery uses three copper pot still with three different lyne arm angles to create different spirit profiles before it is aged for a minimum of three years.

For the Kanosuke Japanese Single Malt Whisky, Komasa blends whiskies that were distilled on each of their three pot stills and aged in a selection of re-charred ex-shochu casks, ex-sherry butts and ex-bourbon barrels. And, according Komasa, some of these whiskies contain a very small portion of peated malted for added depth.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: The Nose is bright and inviting with notes of cereal grains, American biscuits with honey, and fresh sliced peach.

Palate: On the palate sweet nectarine and peach comes through right away followed by a touch of dry oak and a bit of maltiness.

Finish: The finish is light with lingering notes of malt and sweet stone fruit and just a touch of oak.

Conclusion: Kanosuke Single Malt Whisky is a very tasty dram that will excite those who like more malt forward whiskies that are not dominated by sherry or peat. For me, an $100 MSRP is a bit steep for a 3 to 5 year old malt but starting up a new distillery is also not a cheap endeavor. At 48% ABV the whisky has a nice presence in the glass that will mix well with water in a highball while being soft enough to enjoy neat. This is the first new Japanese whisky that I think really lives up to all the excitement that people had for Yamazaki when it exploded in popularity several years ago. And while it is not complex as that, I'm sure it will continue to develop more the longer it is allowed to age.