It wasn't just a month ago that it was announced that in celebration of the 5th Anniversary of a beloved Japan whisky institution, David Tsujimoto's Aloha Whisky Bar, a craft Japanese distiller new to the legendary Ghost Series would make an appearance - that was Ghost #24, a Cask Strength Saburomaru, that was bottled in commemoration. (If you're new to Aloha Whisky Bar or the Ghost Series, check out our previous feature to find out more!)

| Read: The Legendary Ghost Series' First Saburomaru Is A Celebration Of A Beloved Japanese Whisky Institution - Here's To 5 Great Years Of David Tsujimoto's Aloha Whisky Bar!

And guess what, because this 5th Anniversary is a big deal, and because we all love the Aloha Whisky Bar, which has been the checkpoint for all who fly in to Tokyo and a safe haven (with great whisky and amazing company!) for those in the area, there's going to be a second Ghost series bottling for Aloha's 5th Anniversary!

This is Ghost #22, one of the oldest single casks of the Asaka Distillery, which will also be the first time the craft distiller is making its appearance in the Ghost Series!

And as always, we've got the incredibly knowledgeable Stefan van Eycken, who is not only a huge supporter of the Aloha Whisky Bar, but is also the very man behind incredible works such as The Ghost Series whisky bottlings, author of the authoritative book on Japanese whisky Whisky Rising, and editor of Nonjatta, and he's here to tell us about this incredible new Asaka bottling!

| Read: First Impressions From An Early Arriver To Japan's Whisky New Era: Stefan van Eycken Takes Us Ghostbusting

This is Ghost #22 Asaka 6 Year Old Cask #6222!

88 Bamboo: Hi Stefan! First off congratulations on the successful launch of Ghost #24, the Saburomaru! And already we're back with the release of a next Ghost bottling, this is Ghost #22, and again we've got a distillery that's totally new to the Ghost Series, here's an Asaka that's bottled in celebration of Aloha Whisky Bar's 5th Anniversary!

For a start tell us alittle bit more about what it is about Asaka Distillery that's caught the attention of you and David's?

[Stefan]: Both David and I had developed a relationship with the folks at Asaka distillery and this was just waiting to happen. I had visited the distillery several times over the years for various pieces of whisky writing. In fact, the first time I was at the distillery, the stills were still wrapped in the plastic that they came in from the manufacturer. I had also spent a lovely day there, a few years ago, for a feature for Whisky Magazine Japan called “A Day in the Life of…” where I offered readers a glimpse in the day-to day life of a craft distillery. David, from his side, had been asked to help out the team at various whisky shows. Both of us really liked their quiet, somewhat understated presence on the whisky scene and, most of all, we had been very impressed with the releases that had come out of the distillery.

[And so] Ghost 22 is a release from the Asaka distillery in Fukushima prefecture. Like Ghost #24, this was released in collaboration with David Tsujimoto of Aloha Whisky Bar to mark the 5th anniversary of his bar.

[Now] Astute observers will be wondering why number 24 was released before number 22 (and what happened to Ghost #23 – stay tuned for that one). The fact of the matter is Ghost releases are numbered in the order that they were initiated / conceived.

The subtle elegance of Asaka Distillery.

88 Bamboo: It's really cool that you guys were drawn to this rather quiet distillery that seems content to be simply out there focusing on producing great whiskies without shouting too much about it - there really does seem to be a sort of understated elegance about Asaka Distillery.

So how did the bottling itself come about? Tell us alittle more about that!

[Stefan]: To give an idea of how pro-active we were, we actually traveled to the distillery more than a year ahead of the bar’s 5th anniversary (and even before the 4th anniversary!) with the plan to do a joint release for the 5th anniversary. In mid-July 2023, we spent the morning at the distillery and tasted a variety of “style samples” (meaning: not specific cask samples, but various styles of the Asaka single malt). We tasted these blind to determine what our joint preference was.

Then, a few weeks later, we got sent some cask samples which David and I tried together at his bar before opening time and then also later on, individually, to confirm our preference. We had asked for samples that were 4yo. There were two reasons for this: we wanted a somewhat older (of course, relatively speaking) single cask release as most of the single cask Asaka releases at the time were at the 3yo mark. Also, and tied in with that thinking, we were hoping the cask would be 5yo when it came time to bottle it as that would be fitting for the 5th anniversary of Aloha Whisky Bar.

The sample that both David and I were immediately drawn to was #6222, from a refill ex-bourbon cask. We felt this showcased the elegance of the spirit but added depth and complexity – and just overall deliciousness – with some tertiary flavors that derived from the use of refill wood. When we checked the specs of the sample, we were pleasantly surprised because to our knowledge there had been no release of a refill ex-bourbon single cask Asaka to date, so this would give whisky enthusiasts the chance to discover a new facet of the distillery’s single malt. The other cask samples were from first-fill bourbon casks, and they were excellent as well, but the refill cask sample stood out for us. We also suspected it would benefit from a further year of aging before it would be bottled, and this hunch was confirmed as we received a few new samples from that cask over the months to come – each one became increasingly more delicious (which is a good progression!)

"Gamo Sadahide's servant, Toki Motosada, hurling a demon king to the ground at Mount Inahana" from Yoshitoshi's Thirty-Six New Forms Of Ghosts.

88 Bamboo: And of course we have to talk about the artwork you've selected for this bottling! You've selected Gamo Sadahide's servant, Toki Motosada, hurling a demon king to the ground at Mount Inahana of course from Yoshitoshi's Thirty-Six New Forms Of Ghosts. It's a very striking print that you've selected, tell us more about this choice you've made for the Asaka bottling.

[Stefan]: Work on the artwork started immediately and for the woodblock print I chose Gamo Sadahide's Servant, Toki Motosada, Hurling a Demon King to the Ground at Mount Inahana. This print shows an unsuspecting traveler drawn into a temple late at night where he finds a multitude of strange phantoms cavorting. Here, he is seen throwing one of the larger ghosts to the ground with an animated Buddha statue presiding over the chaotic scene. I liked it for the playfulness of the top half of the print, but its selection was mostly driven by the fact that the bright color combinations reminded me of some Aloha shirts. (I have a closet full of such shirts from my favorite maker Kahala, and David, of course, hails from Hawai’i.)

Tasting cask samples is always a blend of fortuitous luck!

88 Bamboo: We also know that with cask bottlings, it's never quite so simple and straightforward, and behind each bottling you've helped bring to life, there tends to always be more that goes on in the background. Were there any of those twists and turns with this Ghost #22?

[Stefan]: [So recall that] all cask samples had the date 2019 on it. Aside from getting updated cask samples occasionally, David and I patiently waited and then as this year’s summer approached, things got busy, trying to finalize the finer details of the front label. One of the things we had mentioned a few times, but seemed to have gotten lost in the mist of e-mail correspondence between the people involved in the label design, was that the distillery had put July 2018 for the “cask in” date. Based on the photos we had snapped with our phones of the cask samples, where it said 2019 for all cask samples (including the one we had chosen, #6222), we told the distillery about the typo and that “July 2018” should be “July 2019”.

As said, this didn’t go addressed until at the very end… when it turned out that it wasn’t the label for the bottling that was wrong but the little label that had been stuck on the cask sample! It was in fact filled in July 2018… and that is how, after waiting for a year to get a 5-year old, we actually ended up with a 6-year old! Not only did we get an extra year, and one of the oldest single cask Asaka bottlings released so far, but as said, it become even more delicious in the course of the past year, so maybe this was just meant to be… If we had known it was 5 years old, we might have been tempted to bottle it right away or earlier, but the extra year dialed up the yumminess, so all we can say is: a pleasant surprise, indeed!

Another great launch event to celebrate Aloha's 5th Anniversary!

88 Bamboo: Wow! That's quite a fortuitous turn of events we should say! How often does anyone incidentally get an additional 1 year of ageing when it comes to Japanese whisky casks! Thankfully nevertheless it all worked out well, and we're getting this wonderful present that continues on the celebration for Aloha's 5th Anniversary!

And so on that final note, what plans are there to release this Ghost #22 6 Year Old Asaka?

[Stefan]: A special launch event was organized at Aloha Whisky Bar on November 2nd. The bottling was initially made available exclusively to those who attended this event. A small number of bottles will be available from a few liquor shops with friendly ties to Aloha Whisky Bar. And, of course, it will be available by the glass at Aloha Whisky Bar.

88 Bamboo: That's wonderful! We hope the launch has gone well, and we're definitely looking forward to trying this Asaka and getting a new and unique look at this quietly elegant and understated distillery!

As always, we're big fans of yours and David's! Keep up the incredible work and here's to many, many more incredible drams! Readers, you've heard it here first, definitely go out there and give Aloha Whisky Bar and big Kanpai and definitely give this 6 Year Old Asaka a try! As with everything we've had with the Ghost Series so far, it always promises to be much more treat than trick!

Pick a copy up here! It's on Amazon!

Note: If you're big into Japanese whiskies or you're interested in stepping into a realm of amazing whisky lore and the whole world of Japanese whiskies, definitely do pick up a copy of Stefan van Eycken's Whisky Rising, which is in its 2nd revised edition packed with updated entries on some of the most exciting Japanese distilleries coming up! It's been an amazing resource for us, and we could not recommend it enough!

Kanpai!

@111hotpot