Whisky Advocate Exclusive: Ghost Series Makes Its U.S. Debut With a Trio of Kanosuke Whiskies

Three Kanosuke whiskies will mark the 23^rd installment of the cult-collectible Japanese whisky Ghost Series and the first time they have been imported to the U.S. The Ghost Series launched in Japan in 2013 and these rare Japanese whiskies became highly prized by collectors for the artwork and scarcity of the bottlings as the series progressed (see table below). The label art for the series was inspired by Edo-period woodblock prints, known as ukiyo-e, from “New Forms of 36 Ghosts” by Yoshitoshi Tsukioka. The early releases focused on closed Japanese distilleries like Karuizawa, Hanyu, and Kawasaki. In 2020, an 11-bottle lot of Ghost Series Nos. 1–5 and 7–12 fetched $100,634 at Bonhams, Hong Kong. The Ghost Series is also an impossible collection to complete as Ghost Series No. 6 was bottled exclusively for bars and every bottle was opened.

A Kanosuke single malt expression made a previous appearance as release No.16, but for release No. 23, three whiskies from Hioki, Kanosuke’s sister distillery, were chosen to showcase the diversity and craft of Japanese whisky making. Releases 23a and 23b are both single cask expressions made in pot stills from malted and unmalted barley, and enable the enthusiast to compare the difference between maturation in new American oak casks to maturation in bourbon barrels. The third bottling, 23c, is a custom take on Kanosuke’s Double Distillery expression, though this time, the two single grain components from 23a and 23b were combined and married in a fresh plum wine cask. Be warned: These whiskies are strong, bottled at 61%–64% ABV, which offers plenty of scope for adding water to fully explore their depths.

The motif for the 23^rd release is the heavy basket from the Japanese fable "The Tongue-Cut Sparrow," a cautionary tale about greed. The image was broken down into three sections and used for each label.

The Kanosuke Whiskies of Ghost Series No. 23

No. 23a Kanosuke Hioki Pot Still Cask No. HG088, 64%, $250

Aged in a new American white oak puncheon
Global release of 200 bottles

No. 23b Kanosuke Hioki Pot Still Cask No. HG0287, 64%, $250

Aged in a first-fill bourbon barrel
Global release of 200 bottles

No. 23c Kanosuke Double Distillery Single Marriage Cask No. PL04, 61%, $250

Aged in a plum wine cask from Komasa Brewery
Global release of 570 bottles

The Secondary Market Success of Selected Ghost Series Releases