There are certain types of barrels that are used for cask finishing whiskey all the time these days: sherry, rum, wine, amburana (far too many of these, in my opinion), and Japanese mizunara. There’s another type of cask from Japan that has been used pretty sparingly up until now, albeit with rather interesting results: Awamori casks from Okinawa. An expensive new rye whiskey was just released that spent some time in these barrels, and we have the details.
This new release comes from World Whiskey Society, a brand that has only been around since 2020. World Whiskey Society is not a distillery—instead, the company works with different partners to procure different kinds of whiskey, which are often given unique secondary maturation periods or cask finishes. The styles and prices range from bourbons in the brand’s Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday collections, which usually cost between $100 and $150, and the Reserve Collection, which features a 33-year-old bottle of Macallan single malt priced at nearly $10,000. There have also been some unique one-offs, including a five-year-old Chinese single malt (which we reviewed) and a Japanese whisky selected by ex-Balcones founder Chip Tate that was finished in port casks.
This latest release is a 12-year-old rye whiskey that was distilled in Indiana, which makes MGP pretty much the only source given its age and how much rye is distilled there. But the cask finish separates this whiskey from others you have likely tasted from the distillery. Awamori is an Okinawan spirit that is distilled from rice, and it’s usually stored in clay pots to allow it to mature and mellow. But a small amount of this spirit is put into Japanese oak barrels to age, and those were used for this particular cask finish. “We’re constantly seeking new ways to experiment with finishes, so when the opportunity to obtain rare ex-Awamori casks presented itself, we seized it and pushed our limits,” said World Whiskey Society CEO Alex Kogan in a statement. “This marks the first time rye whiskey has been finished in these exceptional casks, proving that embracing innovation can lead to valuable insights and remarkable discoveries.”
This is not entirely without precedent. Last year we covered the release of Glenfiddich Grand Yozakura, a 29-year-old single malt scotch that was finished for six months in Awamori casks. This new rye whiskey is completely different, of course. The official tasting notes describe a balance of flavors on the palate, with notes of black pepper, cinnamon, caramelized sugar, honey, and toasted oak, followed by the Awamori cask influence of umami, brine, coconut, and mango. This is a limited release, but you can find it for sale on the World Whiskey Society website now (SRP $170)—and check your favorite secondary retailer in the near future, as it will likely appear there as well.
