55% ABV. Taisetsu is part of Akkeshi’s 24 Sekki series, which refers to Japan’s 24 divisions of the solar year. These releases vary in style and origin and are blended to mirror the personalities of the seasons they represent. The Japanese call the 21st of their 24 solar terms ‘Heavy Snow’, a time that captures the winter solstice and when bears retreat into hibernation—the inspiration for the label.
On the nose, Akkeshi’s trademark peat notes sit behind complex sweet aromas of toffee, orange rind, cocoa butter and malted milk, with nuances of flax and lanolin. On the palate, it’s big and round, with explosive flavour. Pineapple and dried mango fruit flavours rise before chocolate and a fresh, waxing tide of tarragon, mint and white pepper. It’s one of the distillery’s lightest peated bottlings in recent times, and it’s an exceptionally refined and delicious one at that.