Shizuoka 2x20cl (Asta Morris)

Shizuoka 2x20cl is a single malt whisky.

The word 'single' causes some confusion for many. A single malt is nothing more and nothing less than a product from a single distillery. So it has nothing to do with a single cask or even casks of the same age.

Single malt whisky is made from malted barley and distilled in the famous copper pot stills, the distinctive copper stills.

No, Shizuoka 2x20cl is not a no age statement (NAS) whisky. The label explicitly states an age and that age represents the youngest whisky found in the bottle (or in the blend).

No, Shizuoka 2x20cl is not a single cask whisky.

Yes, Shizuoka 2x20cl is a whisky cask strength. A cask strength whisky is not diluted with water before bottling, but goes straight from the cask into the bottle and therefore retains the alcohol percentage during/after cask maturation.

One of the advantages of a cask-strength whisky is that, as a drinker, you can decide how strong you like your whisky by diluting or not diluting it with a little water yourself according to your preference, instead of the producer having already done this for you.

Yes, Shizuoka 2x20cl is perfect for giving as gifts. Gift packs like these are a popular choice all year round for those looking for a great gift. Around Father's Day and Christmas, we find that the popularity of these unique gift packs increases even further, and it is also typically around this time that many brands come out with new or updated gift packs.

Keep in mind that brands usually put together their giftpacks with their most accessible and most popular spirits, so they are often not the best choice for more experienced whisky-drinkers.

On its own, yes, but Shizuoka 2x20cl is one whisky in which the smokiness is only very slightly present in the flavour profile. So you will find some peatiness in it, but it is balanced with the rest and does not take over.

Peat is a typical flavour associated with a particular type of whisky. It is a flavour you have to (learn to) love. A whisky like this one, which is only mildly peated, is a great stepping stone to get acquainted with this flavour type.

On its own, yes, but this Shizuoka 2x20cl is one whisky with only a slightly spicy flavour profile: the spiciness of this whisky is not emphatic in the flavour profile, but it is there.

The spiciness of a spirit can come about in different ways.

• In whisky, the spicy notes mainly arise during the maturation process in wooden casks. The type of wood used (e.g. American oak, European oak) and whether the casks have been used before (e.g. sherry casks) have a big influence on the spiciness of the whisky that comes out of them.
• With rum, the spicy notes can also come from the barrels used, but in addition there is also a separate class of "Spiced rum" where extra spices are added.
• Gin has a much shorter production cycle and therefore does not usually get its spiciness from wood. Spicy notes in a gin are usually the direct result of the botanicals used to "colour" the gin and give it its own identity.

On its own, yes, but Shizuoka 2x20cl is a whisky with only a slightly fruity flavour profile: the fruitiness of this whisky is hidden in the flavour profile, balanced with the other parts of the profile.

• Whiskies with a fruity character can range from light and fresh apple notes to deep, ripe stone fruit and exotic aromas. This fruitiness can come from the grains, yeast and fermentation used, the shape of the pot stills and the cask type.
• Rum made from sugar cane or molasses lends itself ideally to fruity notes. From the fresh citrus aromas of a white rum to the deep pineapple and banana notes of an aged variety - fruitiness is an essential characteristic in many rums. Again, the same factors affect fruitiness as with whisky.

Whether you drink this Shizuoka 2x20cl whisky best with or without ice is a personal choice. We have always chosen not to take a stance on adding water or ice to whisky. There are certainly good reasons to add a little water to your whisky, but whether it adds value to you or detracts from your enjoyment is something you should mainly discover for yourself.

Whisky of more than 52% is rather rare. Often, such a high alcohol content is due to the fact that it is a cask strength whisky (a whisky cask strength): the whisky in that case is not diluted before bottling so it goes into the bottle at a higher alcohol content. Whisky with a high alcohol content often benefits from a few drops of water to release the aromas and make the alcohol less predominant in the glass, and in itself is also fine for use in stronger cocktails.

Shizuoka 2x20cl is a whisky of the Shizuoka brand bottled by the independent bottler Asta Morris. That makes this bottle an independent bottling.

To make an Irish Coffee according to the rules of the art, you need an Irish whiskey. Since you are going to mix it with coffee and whipped cream, we recommend using a good, but not overpriced whiskey. This Shizuoka 2x20cl is a whiskey, but because this whiskey comes from Japan it is not the best choice to make a "real" Irish Coffee.

Did you know that the first Irish Coffee was invented in 1942 by bartender Joe Sheridan? He was working at the airport in Foynes, in the west of Ireland. The barman saw some tired passengers and figured they needed coffee with something special. To perk them up, he poured them coffee with a dash of whiskey mixed in and some coffee on top. When asked if it was Brazilian coffee, Sheridon replied, "No, my friend, this is Irish Coffee." And so it was.

According to the data currently available to us, we cannot state with certainty that this product is vegan and this claim is not explicitly made by the brand.

Based on the information available to us, we can conclude that this Shizuoka 2x20cl whisky from Shizuoka is not an organic product.

In 1918, a young Japanese chemistry student Masataka Taketsuru left for Scotland with one clear goal: to learn how to make whisky. He studied in Glasgow, interned at several distilleries and obsessively noted down every detail of the process. Those notes would later form the basis of the Japanese whisky industry.

Today, Japanese whisky is a phenomenon. Bottles go under the hammer for tens of thousands of euros, distilleries can barely keep up with demand and the number of producers has exploded. But at the same time, that also makes it confusing: where do you start if you just want to drink it?

You'll discover all about it in our blog post Japanese whisky explained: from entry-level to untraceable.

There are several places in Belgium and the Netherlands where you can whisky can order, but there are some specific reasons why Drankenshop Broekmans is the best place to order these Shizuoka 2x20cl and numerous other Shizuoka whisky order:

• Fair and correct prices
• Up and coming Belgian family business, led by Jan Broekmans and based in Zolder, Limburg, since the beginning
• More than 35 years of experience in our physical shop in Zolder
• More than 8500 references in stock and immediately available: ordered before 10 am, shipped the same day!
• Breakage-free shipping thanks to our own developed packaging
• No rubbish or plastic on delivery: all our packaging and padding can simply be put in the paper bin
• Free shipping from 150 euro
• Customer service readily available via e-mail to help with and answer all your questions, concerns and possible problems you might encounter
• Save loyalty tokens automatically with every purchase and exchange them later for access to exclusive bottlings
• Customers reward us with a 9.6 out of 10 based on more than 680 reviews on Kiyoh, and with a 4.9 out of 5 based on more than 450 reviews on Trustpilot
• Drankenshop Broekmans has carried the official Becom Trustmark for years and has won several e-commerce awards in recent years for their logistics and payment processing, among other things