Kamiki Sakura Japanese Whisky
Kamiki Sakura Japanese Whisky is a 96 proof (48% ABV) blended malt from Yoshino Spirits Co. in Nara, Japan — and a genuine world first: the first whisky ever finished in casks of sakura, the Japanese cherry blossom tree. It is a triple-cask whisky, first matured in oak, then aged a second time in Yoshino-sugi (Japanese cedar) casks, then finished in sakura wood — a finishing sequence no whisky had ever attempted before its 2020 launch. The result is unlike anything else in the category: ripe banana, candied chestnuts, cinnamon, and hints of pine on the nose; woodiness, sandalwood, and gentle spice on the palate with sweet cherries cutting through; a floral, spring-like finish. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Proof / ABV: 96 proof (48% ABV)
- Style: blended malt — Japanese malts + selected malts from around the world
- Distiller: Yoshino Spirits Co., Nara, Japan
- Casks: triple cask — oak → Yoshino-sugi Japanese cedar → sakura (cherry blossom) wood; first sakura-wood-finished whisky in the world
- Name: "Kamiki" — the breath of God
Finished in Cherry Blossom Wood
Sakura wood had never touched whisky before Kamiki. Yoshino Spirits, working in Nara — a region whose forests have supplied temple cedar for centuries — first made its name with a Yoshino-sugi cedar cask finish, then went further: a second finishing period in casks built from the Japanese cherry blossom tree itself. The sakura wood is wildly aromatic, and it shows: the whisky drinks like a forest walk in spring, all warming woodiness, sandalwood, and gentle spice giving way to sweet cherries and a floral finish. Bottled at a full 48% ABV in its distinctive packaging, it is as much a conversation piece as a pour. Explore more Kamiki or browse world whisky at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
The brand's official notes: the nose brings ripe banana, candied chestnuts, cinnamon, and hints of pine, with a distinct warming woodiness; the palate centers on woodiness, sandalwood, and gentle spice before sweet cherries cut through the more savory notes; the finish is floral and spring-like, long and warming with a soft, resinous echo.
How to Enjoy
Neat or with a splash of water to open the cedar-and-sakura aromatics; it also works in a highball where the floral notes lift beautifully. A whisky this distinctive deserves a proper nosing glass the first time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Kamiki Sakura unique?
It is the first whisky in the world finished in sakura (Japanese cherry blossom) wood casks — and the first triple-cask whisky: oak, then Japanese cedar, then sakura.
What proof is Kamiki Sakura?
96 proof (48% ABV).
Is Kamiki a Japanese whisky?
It is a blended malt from Yoshino Spirits Co. in Nara, Japan, combining Japanese malts with selected malts from around the world, finished in Japanese casks.
A world first in a bottle — order Kamiki Sakura Japanese Whisky from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.