SHIZUOKA POT STILL K 3YO Japanese Single Malt Whisky
SHIZUOKA POT STILL K 3YO Japanese Single Malt Whisky
RETAIL LOCATIONS
100% Japanese Barley First Edition
Malt: 100% Japanese barley
Wash still: K (Karuizawa still)
17 casks: Bourbon barrels and wine casks
Matured: 3 years to 5 years
Non-peat
Domestic sales: 2,500 bottles
International sales: 1,000 bottles
The second release of "K", follows Shizuoka Distillery's first release "Prologue K".
This is a special whiskey that uses only distiller K and uses 100% Japanese malted barley. Not only is it a single malt whiskey (only whiskey from a single distillery), but it is also composed entirely of whiskies from a single initial distiller. Therefore, it is described as "single-wash still whiskey". (This expression is unique to Shizuoka Distillery)
The delicate and luscious taste of Japanese barley is further elegantly polished by the distiller "K". This taste is a taste only Shizuoka Distillery can produce.The product name is “Pot Still K” because it is the successor to Prologue K and represents that it is made from undiluted whiskey from a single initial distiller. It also bears the words “pure Japanese barley,” which uses 100% Japanese malted barley, and “first edition,” which indicates the first edition.
Awards & Accolades
2023
Whisky Advocate -91 Points
Distillery Highlights
The Red Malt Mill, which pulverizes the malted barley, is a vintage mill that was manufactured in England in 1989. It was previously used at the now-legendary Karuizawa Distillery.
The ten washbacks divide into four made with Douglas Fir and six from locally grown cedar. These are the first fermenters made in Japan and it makes Shizuoka Whisky Distillery the only one in the world to use cedar. Nakamura-san was inspired by the traditional use of cedar in sake fermentation. Their washbacks are made by the only traditional craftsmen left who know how to make them, Fuji Seiokesho from Osaka.
Shizuoka Distillery is famous for its unique pot stills. The Whisky is distilled twice in the world’s only wood-fired, direct heat still. The firewood is sourced from lumber forests in Tamakawa via Tamakawa Kicori, a lumberyard in Shizuoka City. It’s then split into firewood and dried on-site at the distillery.
Shizuoka also has a smaller wash still formerly used at the iconic, but now defunct, Karuizawa Distillery.
Aged in ex-bourbon barrels and influenced by the temperature changes in Shizuoka, the whisky matures more rapidly than distilleries with a more stable climate.
DISTILLERY STORY
Founded in 2016 by Taiko Nakamura the Shizuoka Distillery is located in the Shizuoka's Okuzashiki "Oku-Siz" region, on the Nakakouchi River surrounded by an abundance of nature.
Underground water flows from the Japanese Southern Alps and moistens this land, eventually transforming into the great Abe River, flowing into Suruga Bay. The Whisky is slowly aging in this natural surrounding, with the animals breathing and the blessings of the beautiful nature that moves with the seasons.
The first distillate was produced in October 2016 and casked in December that year.
The distillery is owned by renowned whisky importer Gaia Flow who imports include the brands Blackadder and Amrut. It was designed by American architect living in Shizuoka, Derek Buston, with the intention that it should not be a traditional Scottish style distillery.
YOUTUBE VIDEO - Tour the Distillery
