Akkeshi (厚岸) distillery in Hokkaido has revealed the first details of Shubun (秋分, “Autumn Equinox”), the 24th and final release in its long-running 24 Sekki series. Distillery operator Kenten Jitsugyo confirmed on August 4, 2026 that the peated single malt will arrive in late August, closing out a project that began in October 2020.
The 24 Sekki series takes its name from the 24 solar terms of the traditional East Asian calendar, and Akkeshi has released one expression roughly every three months to mark each turn of the season. Shubun belongs to a smaller group within that run known as the ni-shi ni-bun bottles, four releases tied to the two solstices and two equinoxes: Shunbun (Spring Equinox), Geshi (Summer Solstice), Shubun (Autumn Equinox), and Toji (Winter Solstice). With Shubun, all four have now been released, bringing the six-year project to a close.
Early images shared by the distillery show a red-toned box echoing the earlier Newborn Foundation 4 release, with an autumn-leaf motif on the packaging. Pictograms on the label mark the whisky as a single malt and peated, which is standard for the series. What is new is an age statement: the label reads “5 years or older,” the first time Akkeshi has printed an age claim on a 24 Sekki bottle. Earlier entries in the series were released without age statements, so the change signals that this closing bottle is meant to carry more weight than a routine seasonal release. Akkeshi has said the whisky uses Hokkaido-grown barley, in keeping with the distillery’s focus on local ingredients, though full details on cask types and tasting notes have not yet been published.
Akkeshi opened in 2016 on Japan’s northeastern coast and has built a reputation for smoky, maritime whisky often compared to Islay Scotch, thanks to a climate and peat source the distillery has long promoted as similar to that of the Scottish island. It became the first craft whisky distillery in Japan to receive external HACCP food-safety certification, in December 2021.
Why it matters outside Japan
Akkeshi rarely gets a wide official release overseas, but earlier 24 Sekki bottles have regularly turned up on international auction sites and specialist retailers once Japanese allocations sell out, reflecting demand from collectors well beyond Japan. A finale bottle carrying the series’ first age statement is likely to draw the same attention: for whisky drinkers in the US, UK, and elsewhere who know Akkeshi mainly through its peated core range, Shubun offers a rare dated data point on how the distillery’s stock is maturing nearly a decade after it began distilling. No export or international allocation has been announced for this release, so overseas buyers will most likely need to watch resale channels once it ships in Japan.
Source: Japanese Whisky Dictionary (jpwhisky.net) (Japanese)
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