Notes of coconut, banana, tobacco, and vanilla. Buttery with a moderate oak finish.
When Japanese scientist Dr. Jokichi Takamine first used koji spores to create a maltless whiskey in a Peoria, Illinois distillery in 1891, his innovation promised to revolutionize the whiskey industry. However, a combination of arson, racism, backroom deals, and government agents derailed his revolution by early 1894. Takamine went on to make historic contributions to medicine and culture — creating medical adrenaline and donating thousands of iconic cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C. — but his patented whiskey process disappeared. Or so it seemed. Fortunately, the family-run Shinozaki Distillery, with permission from the Takamine Family Trust, revived the Takamine Process, and the iconic koji-fermented whiskey was reborn. Crafted with Japanese koji and aged in American White Oak, Takamine Whiskey captures the beauty of both cultures in a classic spirit that lives up to its name.