Tasted this as Day 4 of The Saratoga Whiskey Club Advent Calendar 2021. Every day is a new adventure with a blind tasting, where we each try to guess the country of origin, the type and age of the whisk(e)y, and the ABV, followed by a reveal at 9PM. Ohishi Distillery was founded in 1872, located in the Southwest of Japan, in a beautifully mountainous and scenic countryside. Ohishi sits near the tiny village of Mizukami, and is the closest distillery to the source of the Kuma River, one of the fastest flowing rivers in all of Japan, renowned and prized for its superior water quality. Ohishi has been a family business for five generations, primarily known for its sake & shochu production. Ohishi Whisky is distilled entirely from rice and aged in either Brandy or Sherry Casks. In order to ensure the quality of the spirit, the Master Distiller utilizes 30% estate grown grain for distillation, with the remaining 70% of rice coming from the surrounding Kumamoto prefecture. Weeds in the estate rice paddies are controlled by employing koi fish to swim about the grass and nibble invasive plants. Varieties of estate-grown rice include Hino hikari, Mori no kuma-san, Yamada Nishiki, Gohyaku Mangoku and Gin no Sato. Because of the rice’s efficient and subsequent clean fermentation, Ohishi uses a pot still made from stainless steel, as opposed to copper. Photo courtesy of Charles Grabitzky.