The Bandai, Japan-based Tenkyo Distillery has announced the launch of the first release in a new limited-edition annual series, which will be released each year on September 21st, the birthday of the distillery’s late founder, Shunsuke Koike, who passed away in 2022.

KAZE 921 First Edition 2026 (61.7% ABV) is a blended whisky comprising single malts and grain whiskies distilled in Scotland, then matured, blended and bottled in Aizu, Japan.

Even before Tenkyo Distillery was completed and began full-scale whisky production in 2024, Shunsuke had begun exploring the possibilities of whisky maturation in the Aizu region of Japan.

He sourced new-make spirit from three distilleries in Scotland and filled a total of 189 casks, using 58 different cask types. It was an exploration of how spirit, cask, climate and time could shape a whisky unique to this place.

Later, a small quantity was taken from each cask and incorporated into the KAZE Solera System. Among these, several casks that displayed particularly exceptional character were quietly set aside.

This year’s inaugural release centres on two richly matured Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks – one American oak and one European oak – selected from among these special casks and carefully married with the KAZE Solera System, nurtured in Aizu.

KAZE 921 First Edition 2026 is said to deliver notes of maple syrup, spiced nuts, dark cherries wrapped in chocolate, lemon peel and shiso nuances reminiscent of pepper on the nose, followed by notes of candied dried fruits, maple-coated spiced nuts, Sichuan pepper and citrus peel on the palate.

The bottle comes with a label made using Izugahara washi, a traditional craft of Aizu. Barley straw from Aizu-grown barley is incorporated into the paper, with each label individually finished using traditional letterpress printing. The top of each cork stopper is individually hand-finished using an Aizu lacquerware technique known as ishime-nuri.

Limited to 921 bottles, KAZE 921 First Edition 2026 will be available from September 21st through the Tenkyo online shop and the Yukkura direct-sales shop at Tenkyo Distillery, priced at ¥27,500 (£130).