Ohishi 8 Year Old Sherry Cask

Mar 24

Enter rice: already versed in brewing rice for sake, some Japanese distillers began experimenting with a rice-based whisky (note: Japanese whisky is without an ‘e’ in homage to their Scottish influences). The big two to come out of this experimentation are Ohishi and Fukano. Ohishi is based in the Japanese lowlands, about as far south in Japan as you can go (Kagoshima Prefecture). They have been brewing sake and shochu and kabutogama (a shochu made using different techniques) since 1899, and whisky for just a few decades.

Ohishi - and rice whisky in general - is the odd duck of Japanese whisky. To start, it’s not considered a Japanese whisky at all, and in fact is only sold in export markets (despite being distilled, matured, and bottled in Japan). Without barley or grain as the main distillate, what few regulations Japan has excludes this from being called whisky (the regulations have just been updated, so there are stricter times ahead). That doesn’t stop it from being delicious, though.

Ohishi uses two types of rice in their whisky: 30% gohyakumanishi rice, grown in local rice paddies with koi carp controlling the weeds, and 70% mochi rice grown in Kumamoto Prefecture (also on Kyushu, just north of Kagoshima Prefecture). The scale overall is minuscule compared to the likes of Suntory and Nikka - Ohishi has only ~1200 brandy and sherry casks to age their whisky, with no major expansions publicly known.

So let’s bring it all back together: comparing the two categories, how does rice distillate compare to malt/barley/grain distillate? To me, there is a definite difference…the rice whisky is lighter, perhaps allowing for more dominance by the cask finishes, but there’s also an intriguing difference in mouthfeel. Maybe it’s the starch content, or a different molecular structure - maybe it’s the koji fermentation - to be discussed in the next Ohishi post.

I want to learn more about the science of distilling rice and how that might affect the final product. Whatever it is, it’s different, it’s interesting, and you should take a chance and try it when you have a chance.

Ohishi Sherry Cask 8 Year Old: Specs

Classification: Japanese Whisky (Export-Only)

Origin: Oishi Shuzo Distillery

Mashbill: 30% Gohyakumanishi rice, 70% Mochi rice

Proof: 84.4 (42.2% ABV)

Age: 8 Years Old

Location: Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan (Lowlands)

Ohishi 8 Year Old Sherry Cask Price: $70

Official Website

Ohishi 8 Year Old Sherry Cask Review: Tasting Notes

Eye: Coppered gold. Medium rim and syrupy legs.

Nose: Sherry spice and dark fruits. Balanced, not too sweet. Dried dark raisins.

Palate: Sherry bomb - very sweet with just enough heat to balance the wine-dark sweetness. Chocolate follows - Raisinettes and Bordeaux. Not syrupy, but mouthfeel is full-bodied and coating.

Finish: Bordeaux - dark, deep red wine on a long finish.

Overall: Ohishi Sherry Cask is sherry bomb but a great one. The whisky gets a bit lost in the finish but the mouthfeel is fantastic. The heat - not high at all - is enough to keep it from becoming syrupy.

Final Rating: 7.4

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)

7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)

4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)

3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)

1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)