Umiki Blended Whisky, Japan

An interesting take on Japanese Whisky with a blend of domestic malt and imported grain Spirits finish in pine and cut to proof with sea water.

Yoshino Spirits is based in Osaka, Japan. Like manifolds, they started as liquor distributors before branching out into their own brands. Their products are all sourced via various channels at this point, but there is obviously room for them to grow into more. And they have a nicely diverse range of branded Spirits — from Whisky and Grappa to Saki, Gin, and Wines.

The biggest part of what they do at Yoshino is Whiskies, and one of their newest is Umiki Whisky. The word “Umiki” comes from “uni” which means “sea” and “ki” which means “tree” — so, Umiki means “ocean tree.” The Spirit is a blend of local Japanese malt Whiskies and imported grain Whiskies that have both been aged in ex-Bourbon casks. After the Spirits are married they are finished in local pine barrels and the Spirit is cut to proof using desalinated water from the Pacific Ocean now “ocean tree” makes sense, right? Finally, it’s bottled at the correct ABV of 46%.