Kaiyō Japanese Mizunara Oak

Very smooth, loads of vanilla and sweet wood. Good start to my advent calendar.

Nose: Wood, but piney wood. Vanilla essence, varnish, pencil shavings. Lightly floral, orange peel from MoM is there. Could be the tiniest bit of salt. Palate: Not as sweet as expected. Interesting green tea thing going on, feels very slightly tannic somehow. Really not getting as much sweetness as others but more sharp herbal notes, like eating a pine needle. Any fruitiness is like soft lime, and get a bit of vanilla. Actually reminds me of the lime/dill/gin combination of gimlets at Dishoom. Finish: Didn’t find it to be incredibly long, but kind of agree with the mango note from MoM somehow. Herbal tannic thing as well. Overall: will probably remember this for the piney tannic vegetal notes more than anything else. A bit thin for me but interesting which is a big plus.

Vanilla, berries Smooth