INTRODUCING KANOSUKE DISTILLERY
THIS SEPTEMBER, WE'RE EXPLORING KANOSUKE DISTILLERY WITH THE SLOW WHISKY CLUB - A NEXT GENERATION JAPANESE WHISKY FROM KAGOSHIMA'S MELLOW COAST.
Kanosuke is a family story four generations in the making. The Komasa family began distilling shōchū in 1883, but it was Yoshitsugu Komasa who built the whisky distillery in 2017 - realising a dream his grandfather never saw completed, after learning the craft at small distilleries across Scotland.
Perched on Kagoshima's mellow coast at the southern tip of Kyūshū, Kanosuke's climate swings by 40 degrees between summer and winter - accelerating maturation three to four times faster than Scotland.
Their flagship range (Single Malt, Hioki Pot Still + Double Distillery) launched in Japan in 2023 and here in the UK in 2024. Since then, they've picked up global award after global award, and are praised for both their respect to tradition of Japanese Whisky whilst looking outward to others for inspiration and collaborations.
Let's taste...
Whisky no.1: Kanosuke single malt
The distillery’s flagship single malt captures the house style beautifully.
As the name suggests, the whisky is made from 100% malted barley, and after distillation (read on to learn about all the quirks of the distillery) is matured across 5 different cask types. This includes re-charred American white oak ex-'Mellowed Kozura' Shōchū casks. These particular casks give a distinctive Japanese cinnamon, poached pear + peach note to the whisky.
Official tasting notes: A warming spice of Japanese cinnamon and ginger, followed by candied quince and smoky, caramelised nuts. A whisky that sings both neat and in a highball.
Georgie's tasting notes: xxxx
Whisky no.2: Kanosuke Hioki Pot Still
A new Japanese style of pot still whisky, unique to Kanosuke - inspired by Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey and Bourbon, with Shōchū production techniques woven through.
The base is malted and unmalted barley, much like Irish Pot Still. It's made using Shōchū techniques at the family's Shōchū distillery across the road, then aged at Kanosuke itself.
Curiously, it's distilled under vacuum in a stainless steel pot still - a Shōchū production practice that lowers the boiling point, producing a more mellow, flavourful spirit.
Maturation is split between new American oak casks (made by Ariake Barrels in Japan, a nod to Bourbon) and ex-bourbon casks.
Official tasting notes: thick cut orange marmalade, ripe apricots, vanilla and toasted almonds, with a warming spice of cinnamon and ginger to finish.
Georgie's tasting notes: xxxx
AN INTRODUCTION TO KANOSUKE DISTILLERY
Next Gen Japanese Whisky From Kagoshima's Mellow Coast
Kanosuke is a family story through and through. The Komasa family began making sake more than 400 years ago, before founding their shōchū distillery in 1883. In 1957, Kanosuke Komasa – grandfather of today’s owner, Yoshitsugu Komasa - pioneered Japan’s first cask-aged shōchū, Mellowed Kozuru. His vision of mellow, oak-aged spirits inspired the family to look outward, balancing Japanese heritage with global ambition.
Yoshitsugu Komasa built Kanosuke Distillery in 2017, realising the dream his grandfather never saw completed. Before doing so, he travelled extensively through Scotland, learning the art of distillation at several small-scale distilleries. He returned home determined to make whisky that was both authentically Japanese and shaped by his family’s shōchū traditions. Today, Kanosuke is firmly part of the next generation of Japanese whisky makers, blending deep-rooted heritage with bold innovation.
Kanosuke sits on the mellow coast of Kagoshima Prefecture, at the southern tip of Kyūshū.
Hioki City, where the distillery is based, means “where the sun sets” in Japanese, and each label carries a golden sun motif as a tribute to this coastal vantage point over the East China Sea.
This location brings more than just a scenic backdrop. Kagoshima’s sub-tropical climate brings dramatic seasonal shifts – sweltering summers above 35°C and winters that dip below freezing. These 40-degree swings, coupled with sea breezes, accelerate maturation at a rate three to four times faster than Scotland, with a high angel’s share of around 6 - 8% annually - resulting in whiskies with both intensity and nuance.
Kanosuke’s production is unlike any other distillery in Japan, influenced at every step by shōchū-making heritage.
Fermentation takes place in deep, temperature-controlled washbacks - half-buried, echoing traditional shōchū design - with long fermentations that allow complex secondary flavours to develop. Three copper pot stills, each a different shape and size, provide flexibility, allowing the team to produce a wide spectrum of distillates. The company own two distilleries - Kanosuke distillery - just for whisky - and Hioki distillery across the road, where most of their Shōchū is made. And it’s in this second distillery that they use stainless steel vacuum stills, to distill their pot-still style whisky (inspired by Irish Single Pot Still whisky).
When it comes to maturation, much of the whisky rests in ex-shōchū puncheons – 450L American oak casks that previously held Mellowed Kozuru for a decade before being re-charred locally. These casks impart subtle notes of cinnamon, spice, vanilla, and a uniquely Japanese umami quality. Alongside these are experiments with bourbon barrels, quarter casks, sherry and red wine casks.
