Kanosuke Single Malt Japanese Whisky (700ml)

$79.99

Fulfillment times vary, for estimated turnaround times

Availability by location

San Francisco: 5 | Culver City: 5 | Hollywood: 4 | Redwood City: 2

Will Blakely

Review Date: August 2025

One of the most exciting whisky releases of the last year, Kanosuke finally comes to an approachable price point, and I could not be happier. The quality on display here is unrivaled in Japanese whisky at this cost. It even gives single malt Scotch a run for its money. The nose starts strong with big oak and vanilla, but there's more nuance than apparent at first whiff. White flowers, tropical fruit, candied citrus and confectioners sugar lie just beneath the heavy base notes. The palate is soft but structured, offering far more complexity than you could expect from relatively young whisky. Peaches drizzled with condensed milk, sweet grain, toasted oak and a kick of spice make the first impression. But a thread of saline and earthy umami from the coastal aging and the recharred shochu casks counter the sweeter flavors and round out the whole package. What keeps me coming back though is the elegance and purity of it. This will strike some fans of Japanese whisky as odd or strong, but I believe it hits all the hallmarks that separate Japanese malt from Scottish. It's perfectly composed without a single note out of place. I dare say it will convert some Scotch drinkers who thought Japanese whisky too light or too expensive, because at the end of the day, it's just exceptional whisky.

Staff Reviews

Scott Beckerley

The full nose of this malt is alive with orange zest, cocoa powder, oak and light honey. In the mouth, it is full and then spicy with baking spices and lush tropical fruits. The finish is long and spicy and laden with minerals.

Notes

The spectacular Kanosuke distillery melds tradition and innovation unlike any other in the world. Based a short drive from the southern city of Kagoshima, the prefecture is the heart of distillation in Japan. The heat and humidity of the southern Island of Kyushu create an environment much more suited for distillation than the long slow fermentations needed for high quality Sake. The famous Kozuru Sochu was created by Kanosuke Komasa and lays claim to being the first barrel aged Sochu in Japan. The distillery baring Komasa-sans name is the vision of his grandson Yoshitsugu Komasa. His distillery is in many ways the completion his grandfather's legacy and therefore is named for the man to begin barrel aging spirits in Japan. This product, their first regularly available whisky, is a blend of ex-sherry, American white oak and ex-sochu barrels which have been shaved, toasted and recharred. The innovative use of the previously used shochu casks is Kanosuke's hallmark, but the whisky isn't outside of the norm of what seasoned single malt drinkers have come to expect from the extremely well-regarded distillery. In Japan, they've awarded Kanosuke a multitude of awards and it's clear that of all the new distillers in the exploding Japanese whisky space, Kanosuke is the most exciting. Often compared to Chichibu, there's no question that Kanosuke is a distillery to watch. In the meantime, there flagship is easily one of the best Japanese Single Malts on the shelf today, bar none.

Details

Type	Single Malt Scotch
Varietal	Malt
Origin	Kyushu, Japan
Bottle Size	700 mL
Alcohol Content	48%
SKU	1732470