Description
About Shibui 18 Year Old Single Grain Whisky
What It Is & How It’s Made
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Brand / Distillery: Shibui Whisky (Kumesen Distillery, Okinawa, Japan).
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Type: Single grain whisky. The grain is premium Indica long‑grain rice.
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Fermentation / Distillation: Uses Okinawan “black koji” (a mold used in fermentation) & yeast. Distillation is in stainless steel pot stills.
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Age: 18 years.
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Cask / Maturation: Matured exclusively in sherry casks — more specifically ex‑Fino & Manzanilla sherry casks. Non‑chill filtered, natural color.
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ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 40%.
Flavor & Tasting Profile
Here are the tasting notes people report:
| Element | Notes / Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Nose (Aroma) | Oakiness, milk chocolate, dried cranberries, slight bitter cherry, hints of toffee and muted wood spices. |
| Palate / Taste | Citrus freshness; vanilla fudge. Ginger‑snap spice. Licorice. Walnut, fresh fig. |
| Finish | Notes of lime, green melon. Longish and elegant with sherry influence lingering. |
So it tends to offer a refined, somewhat dessert‑like sherry influence balanced by grain richness, nuttiness, light fruit, and mellow oak.
Strengths & What Makes It Special
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Long age among Japanese single grain whiskies (18 years is a substantial maturation period). That tends to help complexity and smoothness.
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Sherry casks (Fino & Manzanilla) give it distinct flavour: more delicate, lighter sherry notes rather than heavy dessert sherry (Oloroso / PX). This avoids overly sweet/tired wood notes and keeps freshness.
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Rice (Indica) + Okinawan koji give it a different grain base and fermentation character vs standard barley grain whiskies — may provide softer body, unique “rice whisky” texture, etc.
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Natural color and non‑chill filtered suggest a preservation of flavour nuances.
Reviews
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