Ontake Distillery's "JAPANESE SINGLE MALT WHISKY Ontake 2025" Wins Gold at Global Spirits Competition "ISC"!

Ontake Distillery, operated by Nishi Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Location: Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture; Representative Director: Yoichiro Nishi), is pleased to announce that "JAPANESE SINGLE MALT WHISKY Ontake 2025" received a "Gold" medal at the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) 2026, announced on May 23, 2026. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who supports our whisky. Encouraged by this award, we will continue to strive for whisky production that moves people across Japan and around the world. The ISC is a global spirits competition hosted annually by the British spirits magazine "Drinks International." The whisky category features blind tastings by world-class judges, evaluating quality based on strict criteria. "JAPANESE SINGLE MALT WHISKY Ontake 2025" is the second release in our sherry cask series. It is crafted using 180 years of distillation expertise, proprietary yeast, carefully selected two-row barley, and precise distillation techniques. The new-make spirit is aged for five years in first-fill solera sherry butts, which were originally used to age high-quality sherry. We consider the cask to be a vital ingredient. We travel to Andalusia, Spain, to personally inspect each cask, ensuring the quality of the sherry aroma and the craftsmanship involved. The whisky features a beautiful amber gold color, with rich aromas of dried apricot, caramelized apple, and prune. It has a smooth mouthfeel with harmonious notes of dried fruit and vanilla. The product is priced at 14,300 yen (tax included), with an ABV of 43% and a volume of 700ml. Located at an altitude of 400 meters overlooking Kinko Bay and Mt. Ontake (Sakurajima), the distillery benefits from natural soft water and a cool climate ideal for maturation. Nishi Shuzo has been brewing sake for three centuries since its founding in 1845.