Fukano Whisky Sherry Cask 200th Anniversary, 42.3%

Sriracha ketchup, muted bramble, and old leather on initial nosing, with emerging notes of sweet pickle and green chiles. Ripe nectarine, strawberry, black grape, and dark sherry on the palate, the fruit concentrated but unsweetened, evolving to show plum, balsamic vinegar, leather, soy sauce, pickled walnut, and oak. Complex and distinctive, its idiosyncrasies will delight hardcore Japanese rice whisky fans, but the newly curious might want to sip before they commit. (2,324 bottles)