Saké Ai Misen Daiginjö – 72 cl

Color: golden yellow
Aroma: fine fruity and floral notes accompanied by a delicate lime and grapefruit note
Taste: soft and supple body with notes of white peaches, grapes, coconut, limes and spices.
Finish: long and complex

The Ichidai Ai-misen Daiginjo sake from the Chugoku-Jozo brewery, founded in 1918, has a degree of polish of over 60 percent. It has been manufactured in the city of Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture since 1963.
Sake is a Japanese rice wine made from polished rice, water and yeast, but is more similar to beer in production. Unlike beer, however, the fermentation of sugar to alcohol sometimes takes place at the same time as the fermentation of starch to sugar. Sake contains 15 to 20 percent alcohol.

Marvellously refreshing gin all the way from Japan! Produced by Chugoku Jozo at its Sakurao distillery, Sakurao Japanese Dry Gin is made with a selection of local botanicals including yuzu, Japanese cypress, oyster shell and cherry blossom, alongside some traditional important ingredients like juniper and coriander.

Tasting Note: Oily juniper, vegetal freshness, citrus peels with a touch of jammy orange, white pepper and a hint of vanilla.

Akashi Meisei Whisky is a blend made from 45 % malted barley, aged in american oak casks. Rich and deep, it opens to notes of vanilla, oak and spices. Tasting Note: Classic American oak notes of vanilla and wood spices.

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A vibrant addition to the Nikka range, Nikka Days is a bright and vivacious blend of malt and grain whiskies from both Nikka's Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. Its medium body hosts an array of floral and zesty flavours which mingle effortlessly with an underlying vanilla-toffee depth and a light, distant touch of breezy peat smoke.

A fresh and delicate whisky, Days makes a delicious sipping dram or sits beautifully in a refreshing highball.

NOSE: Apples, pears and strawberry liquorice. Perfumed notes of daiginjo sake and white melon. Grainy flavours develop, with freshly crushed barley and malting floor sweetness floating out of the glass. White chocolate and a sprinkling of lemon zest sit at the back.

PALATE: Creamy and soft, with grapes and apples on top of toffee and candied lemon. Delicate white chocolate notes are joined by darker liquorice hints and a tiny touch of barrel char smokiness. Right at the back is a bowl of apples, freshly peeled and sliced.

FINISH: Lemon zest and buttery biscuits. Barley sugar sweetness to leave grain and spice.

COMMENT: Delicate and fragrant at first, with more weight hiding behind. A great all-rounder with enough complexity to sip and enough oomph to shine in a mixed drink.

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The Kikusui distillery is located in Kuroshio, Köchi Prefecture, Japan. It takes advantage of the climate favorable to the cultivation of sugar cane to cultivate its own raw material for the production of its rums.

Ryoma rum is produced from pure sugar cane juice and crafted using traditional Japanese methods. It is characterized by its fermentation, carried out using yeasts specially bred to ferment sake!
Ryoma's atypical style also comes from very fine sugar cane, typical of Japan.

Distilled in a pot still, this rum is then aged in white oak barrels.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Marked by floral notes, the nose offers notes of white flowers, star anise and nougat.
• Mouth: Full of roundness and delicacy, the palate reveals aromas of vanilla, coconut and ginger.
• Finish: Fresh, the finish is distinguished by delicate citrus notes before notes of bitter molasses and chocolate come to close the tasting.

"Situated between the north and south Japanese alps, Mars Shinshu is Japan’s highest whisky distillery, at nearly 800 meters. The Hombo family have been distilling for more than a century and they added whisky to their repertoire in 1949 in Kagoshima. That was the southernmost whisky made in Japan until 1984, when all whisky production was moved to the current location in Nagano. Kiichiro Iwai, the name sake for this Mars Whisky, was a silent pioneer of Japan whisky. This whisky is inspired by great whiskies of America. A majority of corn balanced with light malt aged in ex bourbon barrels. Ideal for daily sipping, in a mint julep or an old fashioned.

NOSE: Some vanilla toasted oak notes, a touch of melon

TASTE: Vanilla pound cake and lychee.

FINISH: Sweet with fruit flavors like pear, quince and hints of red fruits and vanilla.

Find this and more exceptional selections at Kaasak.