Initial impressions include soft apple notes, warm vanilla bean, mild oak, creamy butter, and bittersweet cocoa. A wonderfully rounded and smooth whiskey, there is a genuine cohesiveness here that feels quite lively and upbeat. The finish is medium long, with a few touches of baking spice at the tail end. A lot of the character comes from the minerality of the water used, adding terroir that simply cannot be replicated elsewhere. A master at his finest, Tanaka has gifted the world with what may well be the epitome of Japanese whsikey craft.