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Japan on the rice.

There's a unique family-run distillery on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, near the source of the Kuma River, that was founded in 1872 and goes by the name Ohishi. We all know that the Japanese take their Single Malts seriously ― and so do we ― but this one is a special case. For starters, it's not a Single Malt at all, as it's made from rice! Where distilleries usually use malted barley, Ohishi uses Japan's favorite grain to create this superb cousin of Sake or Shochu. The 6th generation Master Distiller Kazunori Oishi doesn't settle for just any old type of rice either: apart from their own hinohikari rice they also use local mochi rice as well as organically-farmed gohyakumangoku, where koi carp are employed for weed control.

At Ohishi they love to play with aging and finishing, often employing various different barrels. These have included former Sherry, peated Scotch, and Brandy vessels. This particular Whisky was left to mature for 10 years in French oak Brandy barrels. The juice manages to retain its rice character throughout the process, making for a very special and uniquely Japanese dram.

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