Clynelish 26yo, Cask # HL18894, Japanese Artists Series (55.8%)

The fourth release in Stefan Van Eycken’s highly acclaimed Japanese Artists series is a single-cask Clynelish, distilled in 1996 and bottled at 26 years old. Yoshitoshi Kanemaki – whose works are often surreal and are primarily in the arena of wood carving, using the traditional ichiboku-zukuri technique which has been found in Shinto and Shingon Buddhist temple sculpture for centuries – collaborated on this edition. Just 132 bottles of this stunning whisky, with a label and box designed by one of Japan’s most exciting contemporary artists, have been created.