Kaiyō Japanese Mizunara Oak Cask Strength

Sweet and mellow with the alcoholic heat coming in but not overwhelming the oak notes

An intense, Japanese Malt Whisky, by the Kaiyo Distillery in Japan aged in Mizunara Oak somewhere on the ocean & bottled at 53% ABV. (Kaiyo means ocean). It has an aromatic birth with notes of Tropical fruits, Mizunara oak & spices; while a bold & salty life adds notes of sandalwood, vanilla & wild cherry; that leads to a long & warming death with notes of orange peel & toffee. January / March 2020 August 2022

Mild fromt with a oaky, sweet, vanilla finish. One of the best japanese I have had

53%? The first of hopefully many

Rating: 12/23 - Nose - There's a pretty big alcohol burn here. Unfortunately, it isn't that complex of a nose. I do get some worty grain and malty sour cherry though. Actually, those are more substantial than I'd expected. They seem to grow with time. - Palate - Less bite from the alcohol than I'd feared! It's sweet with the same grain and cherry-malt from the nose. It's not super full though. There's a clean and smooth aspect to the alcohol, as if in order to smooth it out, they removed a lot of the good flavors and complexity as well. It's bitter from the alcohol, but it doesn't burn. There's a definite vodka flavor to this whiskey, which I'm not sure is something I've ever said before. Hints of lemon peel and pepper. Nice grain vodka flavor. Unfortunately, the more I drink, the more this tastes like vodka instead of whiskey. - Finish - The malty grain and cherry carry through, though they aren't strong. They gradually fade out. Long on the finish, the alcohol burn comes back and just sits there. - Conclusion - This is a pretty lackluster whiskey. It seems to prioritize smoothness over all else. It doesn't really deliver anything worthwhile. I actually think of Seagram's a bit when drinking this because it has that vibe of a spirit masquerading as whiskey. For a rating, I can't go too low. This isn't bad. But it sure isn't good. I think there's just enough syrupy sweetness to this to save it from ending up in the 20 range. It's more like an 11 to 14. I think a 12 seems appropriate.

Nose malt, and pear  hint of cinnamon Pallet Pear lemon peel honey  with a long lingering sweetness  Finish  honeysuckle cinnamon