Akkeshi Distillery Usui Blended Japanese Whisky

Akkeshi Distillery Usui Blended Japanese Whisky is a blended whisky named for the solar term that marks the turn from snow to rain.

Rain water falls in late February, when snow gives way to rain and the ground begins to let go of winter, which on the Hokkaido coast is a slow and grudging business. Blends in this series put the distillery's own peated malt together with grain whisky matured on site, aiming for the coastal house signature in a lighter frame. The location is an unlikely one for whisky by Japanese standards: a small fishing and oyster port facing the Pacific, cold and foggy, with barley grown on the island and peat cut close by.

Softer than the single malts, with malt sweetness, pear and toffee, and smoke drifting along behind. Room temperature and neat is a fair start, but this is a blend made for length. Build it as a highball with plenty of ice and cold soda.