Kanosuke Double Distillery Japanese Blended Whisky 53% 700ml

Kanosuke Double Distillery
Two Voices, One Elemental Song

To appreciate this whisky is to appreciate the nuance of process. Kanosuke employs three pot stills of differing shapes and neck designs - a rarity in Japanese whisky - allowing for remarkable variation even within a single malt regime. Double Distillery draws from two of these stills, each producing a different style of new make spirit: one rich and muscular, the other lighter, more aromatic.

The result is a single malt that feels like a conversation - not clashing, but conversing. A whisky with breadth, but also direction.

On the nose, it opens with an aromatic richness - steamed rice, roasted barley, and a touch of fig jam. Then come the coastal notes, true to its Kagoshima home: sea salt, wet sand, a trace of sun-dried driftwood. There's an underlying sweetness too - brown sugar, orange oil, and the whisper of sandalwood incense that seems to trail through every Kanosuke dram like a signature.

The palate is where the dialogue comes alive. At first sip: bitter chocolate, dried apricot, and toasted cereal. Then it brightens - a lift of green apple peel, ginger, and a flicker of menthol. The mouthfeel is creamy yet structured, suggesting careful oak management - likely a mix of bourbon casks and possibly some shochu cask influence, offering that distinctive rounded umami edge.

The finish is elongated and elegant - black tea, white pepper, and a mellow note of earthy sweetness, like kinako-dusted mochi or chestnut honey. It lingers without heaviness, and fades like a final verse spoken just beneath your breath.

Not a Blend. A Dialogue.
Where Mellow seeks harmony through softness, Double Distillery finds it through structure and contrast. This is a whisky that shows you two sides of the same soul - one bold, one quiet - and how they belong together. It doesn't insist, it resolves.

There's a maturity here that defies its age. A sense that Kanosuke knows where it's going - not by rushing, but by listening.

Final Thought
Kanosuke Double Distillery is a whisky for those who appreciate the detail behind the curtain. It rewards those who sip slowly, who notice the shift in texture between the first sip and the last. It's thoughtful, restrained, and quietly brilliant.

It's not just a whisky.
It's a distillery in conversation with itself - and you're invited to listen in.