What makes Akkeshi Risshu interesting is not simply the use of Hokkaido Mizunara casks.

Released in August 2025 as the 20th entry in Akkeshi Distillery’s 24 Solar Terms Series, Risshu was presented by the distillery as the opening of the series’ final chapter.

By this point, the whisky itself was also showing the passage of time more clearly.

Where the first release in the series, Kanro, was built around three-year-old spirit, Risshu draws on whisky aged three to five years.

The series had matured alongside the distillery.

The 20th Release — and the Beginning of the Final Chapter

Akkeshi’s 24 Solar Terms Series takes its names from the traditional East Asian calendar, which divides the year into 24 seasonal periods.

The series began with Kanro in 2020 and continued through a sequence of single malts and blended whiskies, each tied to a different point in the seasonal calendar.

Risshu arrived in August 2025 as release number 20.

Risshu marks the traditional beginning of autumn — a moment when summer is still present, but the season has started to turn.

That makes its position in the series particularly fitting.

It belongs to the closing stage of the project, yet it also points toward what Akkeshi had become by then.

A Key Malt Matured in Hokkaido Mizunara

The defining detail in Risshu is the use of whisky matured in Hokkaido Mizunara casks as a key malt.

Mizunara is one of the oak species most closely associated with Japanese whisky, but Risshu is not simply a whisky built around one obvious wood-derived aroma.

Akkeshi’s official tasting notes move from poached peach and apricot compote to vanilla, brown sugar syrup and dried persimmon, followed by a soft bonfire-like smoke.

On the palate, the profile turns toward lemon cake, orange macaron and the light acidity of ramune candy.

The finish brings coarse black pepper, ginger-soy savouriness and a lingering lemon-candy sweetness.

Sweetness, citrus, peat and savoury spice appear in sequence rather than competing for attention.

Three to Five Years — A Small Number That Says a Lot

Another revealing detail is the age range.

The cask information for Risshu lists whisky aged three to five years.

Akkeshi began distillation in 2016, making it a relatively young distillery by Scotch or traditional Japanese standards.

That means the passage of time could be followed quite literally through this series.

As each new release arrived, the distillery had access to older stocks and a broader range of maturation options.

Risshu is therefore not just another seasonal release; it is a snapshot of how far Akkeshi’s whisky stocks had developed by 2025.

Gentle Peat, Citrus and the Character of Akkeshi

Peat remains one of the defining elements of Akkeshi whisky.

Risshu is classified in the distillery’s materials as medium-peated.

Rather than pushing smoke to the front, the whisky places it behind fruit and citrus.

Peach and apricot lead into lemon and orange, before pepper and ginger bring a firmer finish.

The movement feels appropriate for a whisky named Risshu: not a sudden change of season, but a gradual shift in tone.

Looking Back from the End of the 24 Solar Terms Series

The 24 Solar Terms Series was completed in August 2026 with Shubun, the 24th release.

Seen from that point, Risshu stands as the first bottle of the final five.

Hokkaido Mizunara, three-to-five-year-old spirit, citrus and restrained peat all come together in a whisky that looks both backward and forward.

Within a series built around the passing of the seasons, Risshu is also a whisky about the time Akkeshi itself had accumulated.

Akkeshi Single Malt Japanese Whisky Risshu

Hokkaido, Japan | Akkeshi Distillery | Single Malt Japanese Whisky | 55% ABV | 700ml | Released August 2025 | 20th Release in the 24 Solar Terms Series

Risshu uses whisky matured in Hokkaido Mizunara casks as a key malt. Its cask composition includes spirit aged three to five years, with a medium peat level and a profile moving from peach, apricot and brown sugar to lemon, orange, black pepper and ginger.

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