Hakata 16 Year Sherry Cask Whisky

Hakata's 16 Year Sherry Cask Whisky is a Japanese whisky, and the name tells you two things about how it was made: it carries a 16-year age statement, and it was finished or matured in sherry casks. The details we have stop there, so the notes below describe what that kind of bottling usually shows, not a measured profile of this exact bottle. Japanese whiskies matured in sherry wood tend to be softer and rounder than a bourbon or a peated Scotch. Expect dried fruit such as raisin, fig and date. Expect a layer of toasted oak and baking spice, with cinnamon and clove most likely, and maybe some dark chocolate or walnut. Sweetness usually comes across as syrupy and fruit-driven, not sugary. A long time in the cask typically brings polish and a gentle, lingering finish, so heavy char or a sharp grain edge would be unusual. Smoke, if present at all, tends to be faint in this style. A whisky like this suits slow sipping, so start neat. Pour about 40 ml into a Glencairn glass. The tulip shape gathers the sherry-driven aromas of fruit and oak, and the flavors are worth finding by nosing first. Give it a minute in the glass before the first sip. If the alcohol feels a little tight on the nose, add a few drops of room-temperature water. A small amount of water often opens up the dried fruit and spice and softens any heat, and you can add a drop at a time to find the point where it tastes best to you. A single large cube in a rocks glass is a reasonable alternative if you want it cooler and slower to open. Chilling dulls the aroma, though, so keep ice minimal and don't use crushed ice. Because a 16-year bottling is priced and made for sipping, most drinkers will want to keep it out of mixed drinks. If you do want a cocktail, the sherry character points to the stirred, spirit-forward drinks. An Old Fashioned made with a sugar cube, two dashes of Angostura and an orange peel would let the dried fruit show through. A Manhattan with a quality sweet vermouth echoes the sherry notes well. A Whiskey Sour or a tall highball with soda would bury most of what you paid for, so a younger, less expensive bottle is the better choice for those. For food, dark chocolate, roasted nuts, aged hard cheeses and dried figs are natural matches for the sherry-cask flavors.