Anjo

Anjo means stable and peachful, secure and curing, as well as tasteful.

Anjo is the cooperation of Mr. Ken Usami and Mr. Kunio Anjo. Their passion and love for whisky brought them together to make this great whisky. Produced from local barley and water, distilled in the Niigata distillery before being matured exclusively in rare Japanese Mizunara oak casks make this is a unique liquid. Whisky 100% peculiar to Japan.

The flavors represented in Anjo are spectacular. On the nose you immediately get the unique influence from the Mizunara oak. Rich and intense. The mouthfeel is velvety soft

Produced in small batches from 3000 bottles. Bottled at 45% and without colouring.

The Niigata prefecture is situated in the middle of the west coast of Japan. It is well known for it’s three white treasures: Snow, rice and sake. In the winter the humid air from the sea passes over Japan, and causes snowfall in the mountains. During the summer it gently melts, causing the rivers of Niigata to flow with clean and pure water. The rivers ensure the local breweries and distilleries of a vital ingrediënt in the process of making alcoholic beverages: Pure and natural water.

Mr. Ken Usami founded the Niigata Brewery in December 1997. Although mere 22 years since registration of the company, generations of ancestors being landlords in the neighbourhood had been producing various kinds of alcoholic beverages for years. Driven by the desire of just drinking a good beer Mr. Ken Usami uses only local ingrediënts for the production of his beers. With the brewery being succesful it was time for him to fulfil another desire: Being the first quality whisky producer in the Niigata prefecture. In 2017 he acquired the first whisky license in Niigata. For his efforts and the results he booked so far, he has already been rewarded a Gold medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2020!

Mizunara oak is unique to Japan, making it a rare and hard to find oak. It is considered one of the rarest and most expensive types of oak in the world. It is particularly difficult to make casks of Mizunara oak due to the fact that the trees need to be very old and have grown very straight which is often not the case. The moisture content in Mizunara is very high and it is much more porous than American or European oak. The result is a much high angels share and casks that are prone to leaking. Right after the second world war supplies in Japan were very low. There were no American or European oak casks available, which turned Japanese producers to using their local oak species. Nowadays the oak is so rare that it is sold through public auctions. A single cask can cost upwards of $6000.

On the nose you immediately get the unique influence from the Mizunara oak. Rich and intense. Different spices come to mind, sandalwood, some honey notes and a bit further away some tropical fruit and coconut accompany the grainy, cereal notes. Judging on the nose you could think the whisky could potentially be a bit harsh, even though there is no trace of tingling you get from taking a deep breath in a glas of lower quality whisky (or rum for that matter). The mouthfeel is velvety soft and creamy, almost surprisingly soft if the nose set you on the wrong foot. On the tonque you get woody notes, sweet honey slowly drying up to the spicy notes. Over time the grainy cereal notes will become more present. The finish is strong but supple, long lasting and with notes of caramel, vanilla, tropical fruits and some coconut.