Every release from the cult followed Ghost series of Japanese whiskies is indeed by virtue of the series' ethos special and unique, each packing in not just stellar, true and authentic expressions of Japanese whiskies present, bygone and future, but also great human stories of how it came to be, of the people who made it and bottle it, along with great art and symbolism. There's alot that goes on in each bottle, and it is for that reason that the Ghost series surely stands as amongst the greatest bottlings of all time - that much I am sure of, at least in my humble opinion.

Yet, some bottlings perhaps strike harder than others - the Ghost #24 Saburomaru is exactly one of those.

So let's unpack it together!

Now firstly, for those who are new to the Ghost series, it is a selection and collection of independently bottled Japanese whiskies by Stefan van Eycken, a highly regarded authority figure on Japanese whiskies (having served as Editor for Whisky Magazine Japan, as well as having authored the landmark book on Japanese whiskies Whisky Rising, with also having ran Nonjatta, a formative online editorial that covered the whisky scene in Japan) amongst many other fields that he is highly engaged in. The Ghost series first made its debut in 2013, originally bottled for readers of Nonjatta, but has since grown to take on a life of its own, with each bottling carrying a unique label from Japan's last ukiyo-e woodblock print master, Yoshitoshi's New Forms of 36 Ghosts set of work - many of the bottlings have thus found some resonance between the whisky contained and the story behind the artwork it dons.

The series has now counted 27 releases (although some are still in the works and have not been released, making the release numbers not numerically sequential! Stefan has made clear that each bottling happens when an opportunity arises, and therefore have no schedule.), with many, if not most, of its bottlings almost one of a kind, featuring unique blends, distilleries that no longer exist, and of course unique cask finishes. Each bottling carries the goal of bringing to the fore something unique and unusual, and of course tasty, to therefore showcase a lesser seen side of some of the most exciting and renowned Japanese distilleries - a feat that certainly only Stefan is able to realise! - yet perhaps most importantly, the Ghost series has come to embody a greater symbolic value in being an ongoing tapestry that presents the evolution of one of the world's most anticipated, captivating, but also mysterious whisky producing countries. Now over 13 years in, the series is just as exciting and well and alive as ever - although fans should never take for granted that we're more than two-thirds of the way through, and that things will end in just over 10 more releases when all 36 Ghost works are completed as per Yoshitoshi's artwork!

David Tsujimoto of Aloha Whisky Bar, the must go for any whisky lover in Japan! (Image Source: Aukingfai)

With that said, we now get into Ghost #24 - this was bottled in collaboration between Stefan and perhaps Japan's most internationally prominent whisky bar, Ikebukuro's Aloha Whisky Bar, which was established by David Tsujimoto in 2019, and was thus due to celebrate its 5th anniversary. Originally from Hawaii, Tsujimoto-san had been an English teacher who was also a big fan of whiskies and had begun amassing a seriously tidy collection, which as with many whisky collectors alike, would eventually turn into dreams of starting a whisky bar. Now whilst most collectors merely entertain those dreams as just that - dreams - Tsujimoto-san would in fact make it a reality, and through his sheer friendliness (that Aloha spirit!), hardwork and dedication, he would find great success having been named Bar of the Year by Whisky Magazine's Icons of Whisky awards! Therefore Ghost #24 would be a friendship bottling between Stefan and David! The pair have in recent years also collaborated on a few other Ghost releases since!

Takahiko Inagaki started out refurbishing his family's historic Saburomaru Distillery, but is now quietly reinventing Japan's whisky game.

Bottled as Ghost #24 is therefore a 4 Year Old Saburomaru Japanese Single Malt, which itself is worth talking about! Whilst much of the Japanese whisky story is bookended by sizeable distilleries (that are now part of larger multi-national entities) on the one hand, and smaller, often independent craft distilleries on the other, Saburomaru Distillery is something of both. The distillery belongs to the family-owned Wakatsuru Shuzo, which was founded in Toyama Prefecture in 1952 (Japan's oldest distillery was founded in 1923, just about three decades apart), and had produced whiskies on a semi-consistent basis through the decades, and as with the expected rough and tumbles of the growing pains of a completely new whiskymaking practice in Japan, the production methods and quality was less than ideal for most of its life. Ultimately, the distillery never quite found its groove, although it did continue to put out whiskies made from a combination of its own distillate, as well as others sourced from abroad. Nevertheless that does mean that Saburomaru Distillery continues to sit on some of the oldest Japanese whisky stocks in the country!

Where it gets really interesting then was when 5th-generation Takahiko Inagaki, would decide to take over the reins of the distillery in 2016 (with the distillery pretty much left as it was from decades prior) whilst he was just in his mid-30's, making him Japan's youngest master distiller! With just about a decade of operations since, he's completely refurbished his family's historic distillery, and has completely reinvented the distillery's whiskymaking, and in so doing, would pioneer a number of important innovations, perhaps most critical of which was the creation of a new type of locally made-in-Japan pot still, ZEMON! Today, Saburomaru's whiskies have garnered a serious cult following, with Inagaki-san having completely turned around the family's whiskymaking trajectory! 

As such, Inagaki-san's incredible work with Saburomaru has become a massive inspiration locally and remains one of the most amazing out of not just Japan, but globally, thus far! Therefore when an opportunity arose for Stefan and David to bottle a cask from Saburomaru, they would of course give it serious consideration, and after having tasted numerous samples, with a particular keenness for the distillery's signature Islay Peated style, they would finally decide to bottle it for Aloha Whisky Bar's 5th Anniversary! The final output was thus a 50ppm Islay Peated malt that was distilled in 2020, which was then aged in First-Fill ex-Bourbon barrel - not just any, but in fact ex-Buffalo Trace, which is some of the best Bourbon barrels around and aren't at all easy to get hands on - for four years and bottled at cask strength of 61% ABV.

And finally, to touch on the last piece of the grand puzzle - Ghost #24 features on its label Yoshitoshi's work featuring Priest Raigo turning into a rat and devouring received wisdom in the form of books and manuscripts - which interestingly was singled out by Stefan over a year prior to its use that the label might pose quite a challenge in having a distillery approve of it, given that most distilleries would be unwilling to associate their whiskies with the critters on the label. Yet, true to form, Inagaki-san being the quiet revolutionary that he is, clearly had no issue with it - he does seem like a very chill and friendly guy, with only seriousness to be had when it comes to the actual whiskymaking - and in parallel Stefan had found some semblances between the artwork and Saburomaru's dusting off its old pot stills and staging a magnificent turnaround.

Stefan van Eycken (Left) and David Tsujimoto (Center), with Takahiko Inagaki (Right) at the Saburomaru Distillery with Ghost #24 still in cask!

As is evident, there's so many super cool human stories packed into just this one bottling of the Ghost series, which again is why I believe the series is truly one of the greats. And whilst I haven't had the luck of capturing every Ghost thus far, I have had the fortune and privilege to have tried several, each of which has been an amazing experience that goes beyond tasty whisky - yet, Ghost #24 perhaps takes the cake in terms of how storied it is! You can read more about it in this feature interview with Stefan who detailed even more about how Ghost #24 came to fruition; I highly recommend checking it out! 

| 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 now it's finally time to cap it all off by giving it a taste! Let's go!

PS. And perhaps the last bit of great human stories is the generosity I've found in those who've shared these Ghost bottlings with me! Thank you Harry for sharing this! 

Whisky Review: Ghost Series #24 Saburomaru 2020 Islay Peated 4 Year Old, Cask #200099, for Aloha Whisky Bar’s 5th Anniversary, 61% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Straw

Aroma: It opens with a delicate plume of sweet smoke, accented with a brighter lemony bit of citrus, backed up by a more bready, maltiness. With time an air of meadow-y white florals come through, with also honeyed apricots and guavas, and a  touch of oyster shell briny salinity.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, really firm and concentrated with a cohesive body of savoury teriyaki, sweet BBQ, just a touch ashy, with also some black tea and a green grape quality, that envelops a core of sweet honey. There's a delicate yellow floral note of chrysanthemum, with also a slight ashiness. It has an old school, almost antique quality about it, with just enough richness that keeps it focused, crystalline, and well-integrated without that baby fat.

Finish: Lots more in the way of BBQ smoke, with also black tea and white florals coming through, here delivered over a canvas of rich and concentrated brown sugar. Long finish, with the exotic guavas really developing and intensifying, along with a delicate waft of peat.

My Thoughts

Thoroughly impressive with an almost old school charm! When I had tasted Saburomaru's first whiskies, I had thought it familiar to that of Scotch Islay's Caol Ila - Inagaki-san has himself stated that he hopes to produce such a style of peated whisky - yet at the time, this being several years ago, it definitely felt young and whilst already showing some potential, still felt like it had more to go in terms of developing complexity. This time around, that Caol Ila quality still comes through, but much more impressively is how much complexity and polish it's taken on! It's not only understatedly complex, it's also become that much more concentrated and cohesive, with an almost taut, crystalline structure that is reminiscent of maltose candy, except here you've got those fresh Islay citruses and salinity, along with a base of deeper and darker toned sweet BBQ and black tea, infused with this incredibly floral and poignant touch of chrysanthemum flowers! It's trimmed off that baby fat in the years since and has become much more toned and polished, deepening its character, whilst retaining, perhaps even emboldening that expressiveness. 

It opens with a beautiful plume of a bouquet on the nose, complex and yet harmonious, with the palate much more centered and focused, before then blooming again into the finish, showing in cadence intensity and concentration, as well as vibrance and expressiveness. The flavour profile is distinctive and has now reached beyond that initial Caol Ila-esque quality, with this old school charm that makes it feel almost of antiquity, evoking this sense of historic tea shops, herbal medicinal halls and old temples. It paces itself beautifully, with an ebb and flow, as it almost unfurls itself and draws you in as to discover more along the way! It felt almost like I had stumbled onto an antique tea shop and as I ventured further in, I was just constantly in wonderment of what new discoveries I would encounter!

Kanpai!

@111hotpot