The Asaka Distillery, opened by Sasanokawa Shuzo in 2016, represents the modern chapter of one of Japan's oldest whisky stories. Sasanokawa first obtained a whisky licence in 1946, making it one of the earliest post-war producers, but for decades its output was modest and mostly blended. The Asaka project changed that — a proper single-malt operation in Koriyama, Fukushima, built to bring the Yamazakura brand into single-malt territory.
This Single Malt bottling is the result, and it shows a distillery finding its voice. The character is unmistakably Japanese — restrained, orchard-led, lightly oaked — but there is a cereal honesty here that feels different from the more famous Honshu distilleries. It drinks younger than some, which it is, but without any of the rawness that can plague new-make-heavy releases.
At 50% ABV, it has body enough to hold up to a drop of water, and I would recommend exactly that — a few drops open up the florals beautifully and coax out a little more of the stone-fruit sweetness.
For anyone wanting to taste the quieter side of Japanese single malt, away from the usual suspects, this is a worthwhile introduction to Sasanokawa's work. A distillery to watch.
