Akkeshi Ritto Single Malt Japanese Whisky

Akkeshi Ritto Single Malt Japanese Whisky is a peated single malt named for the solar term that opens winter.

The beginning of winter in the old Japanese calendar arrives in early November, and in eastern Hokkaido that means the first serious cold. The annual swing here, from humid fogbound summers to a long deep freeze, is one of the more interesting things about maturing whisky on this coast, and it works on casks differently to the mild damp of Scotland. Ex-bourbon barrels hold the bulk of the stock, with sherry, wine casks and Hokkaido Mizunara used for seasoning and complexity. The malt is peated, some of it from barley grown on the island under the distillery's own eye.

Smoke here is dry and ashy, wrapped around malt, orchard fruit and a salty close. Neat at room temperature, in a tulip glass if you have one. It holds its shape over a large cube, and a smoky highball is never a bad idea with this house style.