Every year, Japan enters its chocolate-crazy season, driven by the tradition of gifting chocolates for Valentine’s Day.
This practice has grown to include chocolates for friends, coworkers, and oneself, making February a prime time for unique and premium chocolate offerings.
This year, Kamakura-based Maison Cacao has teamed up with distiller Suntory to release two special chocolates using premium Japanese whisky.
These chocolates fall into a category Japan calls nama chocolate, which is a creamy type of ganache.
The Aroma Chocolate Maison Legacy uses Suntory’s single-malt Yamazaki. Yamazaki is well-known and respected in the whisky world.
This chocolate has a dark chocolate base that mixes bitter, tart, and spicy flavors. The chocolate melts in your mouth, releasing the scent of Yamazaki whisky.
The second offering, Aroma Nama Chocolate Maison Artisan, features Suntory’s Hibiki Japanese Harmony.
Hibiki Japanese Harmony is a younger blended whisky, known for its light and smooth taste. This whisky is paired with Maison Cacao’s milk chocolate to lessen bitterness and allow the whisky’s floral aroma to shine.
Maison Cacao offered these Suntory whisky chocolates last year, and their return suggests they are more than just a novelty. Their price has increased, with a box costing 4,320 yen (about $33), but given their limited-time release and premium nature, this cost isn’t considered extravagant by Japanese standards.
These chocolates are available from January 18 at Maison Cacao specialty stores in Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Nagoya. If you’re a fan of both whisky and chocolate, these treats might be the perfect indulgence for you this season.
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