Tastes

Right now belongs in the good, but not great territory. It's a smooth base hit that could be confused for a bourbon with slight oak backbone, cherry notes, but nothing overly complex. It doesn't impress nearly as much as the Heaven Hill Grain to Glass rye, which is just a little more in price.

Ridiculously overpriced. It's good, similar to Green Spot or Redbreast, but with a subtle smoke. Redbreast CS is better.

I'm not sure if my bottle opened up, but this was a crowd-pleaser, and you definitely taste the floral, 'cherry-blossom' finish, and it's light and refreshing. This is unlike any bottle I've ever tried (rice whiskey) and is a pretty good price if you found it for MSRP, perhaps even on sale for being on the shelves too long (what happens to a lot of Japanese whiskeys in America).