Togouchi Premium – 70cl

Togouchi is matured in a railway tunnel — 361 metres of it, bored through a hillside in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1970 for a line that was never finished. Chugoku Jozo took it on as a warehouse and found it close to ideal: around 14°C the year round, humidity holding near 80%, and almost no seasonal swing at all.

That stillness is the point. Casks in a conventional warehouse breathe with the weather, pushing spirit in and out of the oak as the temperature moves. In the tunnel, very little moves, so the wood gives up its colour and tannin slowly. The whisky comes out paler and gentler than a Scottish or American equivalent of the same age.

Worth being straight about what is in the bottle: this is a blend of malt whisky from Scotland and grain whisky from Canada, shipped in cask and then matured, blended, reduced and bottled in Japan. The Japanese contribution is the maturation and the blending rather than the distillation. Chugoku Jozo's own Sakurao distillery, opened in 2017, is a separate and much younger project.

It noses sweet and soft — vanilla and dried coconut first, then walnut and marzipan, with orchard fruit sitting behind. The palate is light-bodied and faintly creamy, more almond sugar than oak, with a little cinnamon arriving late. The finish is clean and dry. No heavy wood, no heat.

An easy whisky, and an honest one at the money.

How to Serve

Neat, or better still as a highball: a tall glass packed with ice, one part whisky to three of cold sparkling water, no garnish. A few drops of water lift the marzipan if you are drinking it straight.

Where to Drink It

Bar Lotus for a highball poured without ceremony. Soho Whisky Club if you want to taste it beside genuine Japanese distillate and understand the difference. Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood for an armchair and an hour.

Food Pairings

Grilled pork belly glazed with soy and mirin — the caramelised edges meet the vanilla, and the dry finish resets your palate between bites. Salted edamame if you want nothing more complicated.