Kaiyō Japanese Mizunara Oak Cask Strength

Very smooth. Well balanced but not very complex

Fruity and vailla aroma, saline/iodine on the palate. Hot with all the ETOH. Interesting.

Tasted vanilla and a good amount of peat, wood and smoke. More flavors than some of the others I’ve tried before. Added a few drops of water to experience the flavors other last did by doing the same.

Truly incredible.

This one has been very well reviewed by the gang. Sandlewood, cinnamon, and other flavor notes I agree with. I think you can however often tell the measure of a cask strength whiskies maturity and complexity or lack thereoff by the way it handles water. I think this was better cask strength personally even if it was a bit hot and slightly out of balance at that abv. A bit of water and time bought out slightly bitter characteristics and diluted the flavor and a bit more overpowered it and turned it into watery ethanol. Interesting to experience Japanese wood influence though. I'd like to try the 46% offering to see if the offical watering down is more successful than my haphazard method.