Kanosuke Cask Strength Single Malt Japanese Whisky 2023
Kanosuke Cask Strength Single Malt Japanese Whisky 2023 is a 118-proof (59% ABV) peated Japanese single malt in a 700mL bottle — the distillery's 2023 limited edition, blending 50 ppm peated malt with unpeated malt from 2018–2019, aged an average of four to five years. Non-chill filtered, no added colouring. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Proof / ABV: 118 proof (59% ABV), natural cask strength
- Size: 700mL, 2023 limited edition
- Distillate: 100% malted barley; blend of 50 ppm peated malt and unpeated malt, distilled 2018–2019 in three Miyake copper pot stills
- Maturation: average 4–5 years in ex-bourbon barrels, ex–Mellowed Kozuru rice shochu American oak casks and sherry casks
- Distillery: Kanosuke Distillery, Hioki, Kagoshima, Japan — coastal distillery backed by over a century of shochu craft
- Recognition: Gold, 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition; 94 points, Wine Enthusiast
Kanosuke's First Peated Statement
Kanosuke comes from the Komasa family, shochu makers in Kagoshima for generations, and its signature trick is aging whisky in casks that once held Mellowed Kozuru rice shochu. The 2023 limited edition breaks from the distillery's usual unpeated style: heavily peated 2018 and 2019 malts married with the standard unpeated spirit, all matured in shochu, bourbon and sherry wood, then bottled at the strength it came from the cask. See the rest of the Kanosuke Distillery collection and the Japanese whisky range at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Per the distillery: cinnamon, pastry custard, banana and smoky incense on the nose; a weighty palate of black tea, salted caramel and baking spice; a dry finish of salty-sweet smoke. Wine Enthusiast adds salty seaweed, vanilla, chocolaty peat smoke and raspberry-jam doughnut on a long finish.
How to Enjoy
Neat in a tulip glass to take in the full 118 proof, then a few drops of water to pull the fruit and pastry notes forward. Give it ten minutes in the glass — the smoke settles and the shochu-cask sweetness steps up.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Kanosuke different from other Japanese whiskies?
Its maturation in ex–Mellowed Kozuru rice shochu casks, plus a coastal Kagoshima climate and copper pot stills built by Miyake.
Is the 2023 release peated?
Yes — it is the first peated Kanosuke single malt, built on 50 ppm peated malt distilled in 2018 and 2019.
What awards has it won?
Gold at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and 94 points from Wine Enthusiast.
Peated Japanese whisky at true cask strength is still a rarity — secure a bottle of the Kanosuke 2023 online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.