Sakurao Sauternes Cask｜The Stillman’s Selection, and the Château Behind It
2026.8.13
Single Malt Japanese Whisky SAKURAO SAUTERNES CASK FINISH STILLMAN’S SELECTION
And this Sauternes, apparently, is from Château d’Y—m — the summit of noble rot wine.
Yes. That one…!!!
The specs, first
Single Malt Japanese Whisky SAKURAO SAUTERNES CASK FINISH STILLMAN’S SELECTION
ABV: 46% /
Cask: over 3 years in bourbon barrels, then over 1 year finishing in Sauternes casks
The official tasting notes:
Nose: white peach, ripe apple, mango.
Palate: muscat-like fruit, and a smooth mouthfeel.
Finish: rich sweetness and a refined acidity in balance, long and mellow.
White peach leads the nose.
Wait — didn’t they release a Sauternes cask before…?!
If that’s you, yes.
Sakurao has released a Sauternes cask finish before, sold only at the visitor centre.
The earlier one: SAKURAO DISCOVERY / SAUTERNES CASK FINISH
ABV: 50% /
Spirit matured in the seaside warehouse at Sakurao Distillery, finished 18 months in Sauternes wine casks
Apricot and ripe apple on the nose, banana and pear on the palate. Fruity aromas, with a long, thick, honeyed sweetness on the finish
The new one: SAUTERNES CASK FINISH STILLMAN’S SELECTION
ABV: 46% /
Over 3 years in bourbon barrels, then over 1 year finishing in Sauternes casks
Bright amber. White peach, ripe apple, mango on the nose. Muscat-like fruit and a smooth mouthfeel. Rich sweetness and refined acidity in balance, long and mellow
Set side by side, the difference is the strength and the kind of fruit.
From 50% to 46%.
Where thick honeyed sweetness once led, there’s now a finish balanced by refined acidity.
Apricot, banana and pear have become white peach and mango.
More refined, and more fruit in the fruitiness.
So why did that happen? The casks.
One estate that has stood at the top of Sauternes for 170 years
Sauternes is a region in France known for intensely sweet wine.
There are many châteaux there.
And among them, one that has held the summit for 170 years.
They cut the harvest so hard that one vine is said to yield a single glass.
In a year when the fruit doesn’t satisfy them, they refuse to put their name on the wine.
That kind of estate.
And this is apparently Château d’Y—m, the summit of noble rot wine…!!
That’s just too much!!!!!!!!
What STILLMAN’S SELECTION is
A series where the stillmen themselves pick the casks.
Sakurao Distillery keeps two warehouses in very different environments: one by the sea, one in the mountains.
The Sakurao warehouse, reached by the calm sea air of the Seto Inland Sea, and the Togouchi warehouse, deep in the Chugoku mountains among forest and clear water.
Stillmen who have inherited over 100 years of distilling craft, and tasted countless spirits, select the finest malt with a fine-tuned palate.
The STILLMAN’S SELECTION line
SAKURAO SHERRY CASK 50% / two types of cream sherry cask
TOGOUCHI MISTY 48% / bourbon barrels matured over 3 years in the Togouchi tunnel
SAKURAO SPANISH OAK 50% / Spanish oak
SAKURAO SAUTERNES CASK FINISH 46% / over 3 years in bourbon barrels, then over 1 year finishing in Sauternes casks
Sakurao’s run doesn’t let up
This isn’t just about one bottle.
What Sakurao has been doing lately is remarkable.
SOGAINI, a fully Japanese blend at the ¥2,000-something mark.
About ten months since release, and it’s spread so far you’d think there’s no one left in Japan who hasn’t heard of it.
SPANISH OAK, out of stock for a long stretch, is back.
そして売り切れていた蒸溜所限定の宮ノ鹿も、Batch 6になって再販されていました。
If you missed it before, it’s waiting at the distillery now.
I went out to the distillery
Off to the visitor centre at Sakurao Distillery, to buy this bottle.
The noren curtain at the entrance had changed colour again. White now, and lovely and fresh!
Today I brought along a friend from Niigata who is about to start a rum distillery of his own.
Walking a distillery with someone who is about to build one. That was the shape of the afternoon.
What surprised me was how steadily the visitors kept coming.
And that the staff were handling them in fluent English.
“There’s a new distillery opening up in the mountains soon — Forest Site — so come back to Hiroshima, and come and see Forest Site too!”
Standing beside them, I could see clearly that visitors from overseas were leaving with something really good.
This is how a distillery in Hiroshima connects to the world.
And what’s going to push this run even further is Forest Site.
Due to open this year.
An extraordinary distillery, deep in the mountains.
When it opens, please do come to Hiroshima and see it!
Whisky tastes better when you know the hearts behind it.
Every encounter is meant to be. Welcome to the world of Rum & Whisky.
📍 Bar Little Happiness
5-14-1F Nagarekawa-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima
Mon–Sat: 19:00–24:30 / Sun: until 24:00
(Last entry approx. 1 hour before closing)
Open almost every day of the year
Reservations and enquiries via our official LINE 🥃
Latest updates on Instagram Stories ⭐️
🔗 Online shop: https://shop.little-happiness.jp
