Eigashima Shuzo Akashi 5 Year Old Sake Cask Finish Japanese Whisky
Akashi 5 Year Sake Cask Finish is a 100-proof (50% ABV), 750mL single malt Japanese whisky from Eigashima Shuzo's White Oak Distillery in Hyogo Prefecture — one of the rarest whisky experiments in Japan, finished in casks that previously held Kijoshu, a rich, port-like style of sake. Distilled from 100% lightly peated barley in copper pot stills, it spends four years in ex-bourbon barrels and a final year in American-oak casks seasoned with Kijoshu, picking up a savory, umami depth no sherry cask can replicate. Add it to your cart and order online at Del Mesa Liquor for San Diego pickup or delivery.
- Proof / ABV: 100 proof / 50% ABV
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 5 years — 4 in ex-bourbon barrels, 1 finished in ex-Kijoshu sake casks
- Origin: distilled, matured, and bottled by Eigashima Shuzo (White Oak Distillery), Akashi, Hyogo, Japan
- Production: 100% lightly peated barley, copper pot stills; Kijoshu is a concentrated sweet sake aged in wood, similar in character to port or sherry
Five Centuries of Sake, One Whisky Experiment
The Eigashima family has been making sake near Kobe Bay for over three centuries, and the distillery holds Japan's first whisky license, issued in 1919 — yet serious malt production didn't begin until 1984, when the current copper pot stills fired up at the White Oak facility. With a five-person team, Eigashima remains Japan's smallest whisky producer, and the Sake Cask Finish is its most personal project: the family's own Kijoshu — made by replacing part of the brewing water with finished sake — seasons the casks that finish the whisky. The result tastes like nowhere else on earth, a single malt with sake's savory soul. Explore more rare bottlings in our Eigashima Shuzo collection and our Japanese whisky selection.
Tasting Notes
The nose opens with walnut and vanilla and just a whisper of peat, followed by candied orange, almond butter, and sake lees — that rich, creamy aroma of sake sediment. The palate is bittersweet orange and chocolate-covered banana over saltwater taffy and cocoa, with a savory umami thread running underneath. The finish dries out with black tea tannin, fresh cypress, and leather.
How to Enjoy
Neat or with a single drop of water to unlock the umami and fruit — this is a contemplative whisky, not a cocktail base. Pair it with sushi, aged cheese, dark chocolate, or roasted almonds, the way you'd pair a fine sake.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kijoshu and why does it matter?
Kijoshu is a rich, concentrated style of sake made by substituting some brewing water with finished sake. Its port-like sweetness and depth season the finishing casks, giving this whisky its signature savory, umami character.
Is the Akashi 5 Year Sake Cask peated?
Lightly — it's distilled from 100% lightly peated barley, so there's a soft smokiness on the nose that frames the fruit rather than dominating it.
How rare is this bottling?
Very. Eigashima is Japan's smallest whisky producer with a five-person team, and ex-Kijoshu casks are extremely scarce — this is a small-batch, limited release.
For a single malt that could only come from Japan, buy your bottle of Akashi 5 Year Sake Cask Finish online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.