Kanosuke started in 2018, named after the leader of the Kanosuke Komasa. The distillery is located in the southern Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan, along Fukiagehama Beach. Each of their three copper pot stills is of a different design, allowing them greater blending opportunities since the distillate off each would be somewhat different. One can maybe get a sense of their aim by acknowledging their distillery motto: “Japanese whisky, richer and more mellow.” They produce pot still and blended whiskies in addition to single malts and are in the midst of releasing batch offerings by year. The Kanosuke Single Malt is the current flagship whisky of the distillery, the third batch of which was released in 2023. It is made using a blend of single malts from all three pot stills, though curiuously the grain is never specifically named. We presume it is barley.
Distillery: Kanosuke
Country: Japan
Age: NAS
Strength: 48%
Price: $84.99
Maturation: re-charred American white oak ex-“Mellowed Kozuru” aged shochu casks
Location: Kagoshima
Nose: Miren, pickled ginger, melon, vanilla, cherry blossom, apple, mandarin oranges, lemon, pink pepper
Palate: Brine, oak
Finish: Brine, oak
Comments: A special thanks for Paul G. for procuring this whisky for us in the Shanghai Duty Free shop while on his travels. Cheers, Paul!
Adam – I don’t get as much fruit from the Kanosuke Single Malt on the nose as some others, yet there is a lot of sublty here that rewards multiple revisits. Each encounter is a little different. The palate and finish are much, much simpler vanilla and brine, with some definite wood at the end. The mouthfeel is quite nice and it does assault your mouth. For being what is assuredly a younger whisky, it is quite pleasant. I wish I could pinpoint how the aged shochu casks impacted the profile but I’m currently too unfamiliar with it. I would love to explore other offerings from this distillery, if this is a gateway.
Henry – A light and elegant whisky with a nose of spring flowers and vanilla, with an oaky backbone almost leaning toward peppercorns or Java (long) pepper. Oak and brine with an abrupt burst of heat on the palate. Brine and oak predominate on a medium, mouthwatering finish.
Ben – There’s all this cherry blossom that starts the story and I love that. The Kanosuke Single Malt is very different to smell than it is to taste. Those two worlds can still come together. It’s a very good whisky.
The light floral nose gives way to a robust palate.
Bill – The nose is very delicate. Big vanilla but it also peppers you with other elements. It’s telling a story. There’s a brine here.
Mike – The palate does not reflect the nose. I like the Kanosuke Single Malt, I like the flavors. There is one thing on the palate I can’t get past. I taste a little molded plastic on the palate.
Evelyn – There’s something fishy with it. If it’s a young whisky, it’s a heck of a lot better than a lot of young whisky we’ve had before.
Sam – There’s a little pink pepper going on in the nose. It has a burn in the nose like Kiersfoster, the cherry vodka of the Russians. What I like is that it has this delicate nose and then delivers with a big palate and then kind of disappears. I’m getting canned mandarin oranges on the nose. The Japanese love surprises. That’s what this whisky does very well, to offer a little slight of hand.
Kim – The light floral nose gives way to a robust palate. I really enjoyed this one.
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