Akkeshi Seimei Single Malt Japanese Whisky

REGION: Hokkaido, JP 
SIZE: 700ml / ABV: 55%

From Hokkaido’s precocious Akkeshi distillery, Seimei is the seventh instalment of Toita-san’s ‘24 Solar Terms’ (Sekki) series. The ‘24 Solar Terms’ is a traditional Japanese concept that follows the lunar calendar. The year is divided into 24 seasons, or solar terms, including the likes of the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Each Whisky in the series aims to demonstrate the effects each term has on Whisky production.

Seimei is an abbreviation that means “clean, bright and lively”, and refers to the time of year when flowers and grass come alive and we feel the breath of spring, the season to expend energy and embrace vitality. This time of year is in mid-April, just as the final blend was coming together for this bottling.

As per all Akkeshi Whiskies, the local base was made entirely from Hokkaido barley, the growing and harvest of which is overseen by the Akkeshi team. This met Scottish Concerto barley, peated to 50ppm. Maturation was in ex-Bourbon (approximately 70%), Mizunara Oak, Sherry and wine casks. Seven types of non-peated and peated barrels were used in the blend; the average age of the blend is four years.

Akkeshi Single Malt always has a beautiful, balanced sweetness, manifesting here with delicate florals and fruits before the signature peat element makes its presence known. It’s gorgeously bright and lively, with aromas of red berries, white blossoms, hay, vanilla and honey. The aromas give way to an energetic palate dancing almost in two halves, with delicate peach and praline offset by contrasting iodine and saline notes and peters to a white pepper finish. Evoking a sense of brightness, the label is a fresh blue and green with a silhouette of a swallow.