Kanosuke New Born Peated 24mths White Oak Casks 58%abv

Nose: There is peat but not at the expense of a fruity core. Apricots, peaches, nectarines, apples. The peat is mostly of the earthy kind. Vanilla, varnish, fermented pears, leather, tobacco and it’s very well balanced. Some incense with water added.
Palate: Delicious. Sweet and eathy peat. Apricots, white nectarines, lychees, red apples, sweet tobacco, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla. Sarah Lee Apple Crumble. There’s some white pepper and fresh ginger. Dare I say mature? The balance remains on the palate. There’s a bunch of fruit candies with water added. Medium bodied.
Finish: Apples, pears, leather, tobacco, oak, earthy peat. The apple crumble with water added then some late engine oil.
Last Word: A marvel at this young age! Balanced, complex and has even more to give than my notes suggest.

Rating: 90/100

Kanosuke New Born 18mths Bourbon Casks 57%abv

Nose: Wild flowers, pollen, wood shavings, pepper, honey, vanilla. A medley of tropical fruits, dried mango, pineapple, passionfruit, banana. With water the wildflowers and passionfruit dominate.
Palate: Honey, sherbet, apple pie crust, vanilla, salt, wild flowers. Dried mango, oranges, ginger, banana. Dare I say smooth! With water the body fills out and there is more pepper, salt and ginger, also cloves.
Finish: Dried mango, dried pears, sawmill floor, a little clove, dried plantain. A little drier and herbaceous with water also vanilla wafers.
Last Word: Mind blowing stuff at this young age that already displays a really exotic edge. I rated the 8mth New Born highly and this one moves the goal posts forward again.

Rating: 88/100

Kanosuke New Born 2018 8mths Old Aged In White Oak Casks 58%abv

P1050415Nose: Fruity and Malty. Apricots, nectarines, rhubarb, white grapes. The expected vanilla and toffee. Dusty virgin White Oak barrels. An amazing lack of strong acetone notes for one so young. A flower like perfume note, some nutmeg spice and white pepper. If you think your nasal passages are going to be blown apart by a cask strength new make whisky guess again, not with this one!
Palate: It’s initially very punchy with a strong attack of wood spices. Some licorice/licorice oil, pepper, chili flakes. Tends to mellow out over time with Fuji pears, lychees, salted cashews and sugared pie crust. Sit with this for an hour and the palate gets better and better with each sip.
Finish: Initially peppery, then moves to sweeter notes of vanilla and almonds, followed by agave and yeast.
Last Word: I don’t usually mention color but this 8 months old new make has a fabulous golden hew that any 12 year old whisky matured in White Oak casks would be proud of! And yes, this is non chill filtered, non colored.
My impression at 8 months is that this could be a killer whisky at even 3-4 years! The most impressive Japanese New Make ‘Whisky’ I’ve tasted since Chichibu’s New Born Heavily Peated 2009.
Exiting Stuff!
Kanosuke Distillery Website
Rating: 85/100