Ohishi Kaito’s Cask is another sherried whisky from the Ohishi distillery and comes from a single sherry cask hand selected by Chris Udhe of GRC to celebrate the birth of his son Kaito Uhde. And Chris definitely knows how to pick ‘em so when I heard about it coming out I had to get my hands on a taste. Long story short, it’s good.
Outside of the brandy casks, which I’m not a big fan of, the Ohishi distillery seems to be able to do no wrong – especially when it comes to sherry casks. The way the rice spirit soaks up the sherry and marries the grainy rice sweetness with the dense fruity sweetness of the Oloroso is consistently good. Quality stuff I’m becoming more and more a fan of as the years progress, and with that let’s dig into the Ohishi Kaito’s Cask review!
Ohishi Kaito’s Cask Info
Region: Japan
Distiller: Ohishi
Mashbill: 100% Rice
Cask: ex-Sherry
Age: NAS
ABV: 41.8%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $80
Ohishi Kaito’s Cask Review
EYE
Amber
NOSE
Sherry, toffee, rice, orange peel, brown sugar, cocoa, dark fruit, wax and a bit of cola spice, nuts and red grapes.
PALATE
Sherry, toffee, vanilla, cinnamon, orange peel, spice, brown sugar and light notes of nuts, cocoa, red grapes and wax.
FINISH
Medium fade of rice sweetness, sherry, citrus and cocoa.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Well balanced, full body and an oily slick feel.
OVERALL
Ohishi Kaito’s Cask is noticeably grapey and waxy, more so than any of the other sherried Ohishi whiskies I’ve had before. It has an elegant aroma filled with dark and spicy notes and a palate that is lighter but nonetheless great. I get a nice sense of depth from this whisky, but like the Fukano Sherry, it’s not enough to pull it to the next level. Close, but not quite there.
Tasting the Ohishi Kaito’s Cask next to the Fukano Sherry it’s easy to see how different they are and if you’re looking for a heavy sherry bomb go for the FS. If you’re looking for something a bit more elegant, a tad understated and nuanced, then go for the Ohishi Kaito’s Cask. Though really, either way you go you win because you end up with a lovely sherried Japanese whisky.
SCORE: 89/100 (B+)
