Kaiyō Japanese Mizunara Oak

Opened 6/19

It’s been a while since my last review of a Japanese whisky, so I figured its about time to get another one out there. This sample came by way of @LeeEvolved. Kaiyō Japanese Mizunara Oak is a blended malt. It is first aged in a warehouse for an undisclosed amount of time, then, like Jefferson’s Ocean, it heads out to sea for a little R&R. 3 months to be exact. The motion of the ship and changes in temperature and pressure supposedly help to age the whisky at a more accelerated rate...whatever. This malt blend is bottled at 43% ABV and is non chill filtered but most likely has colorant added making it a honey gold. The Mizunara oak jumps out immediately on the nose along with strong floral notes of jasmine, orange and cherry blossoms. Vanilla, salty with what I can only describe as clam juice. After some time there is a bit of lemon citrus, more oak, walnuts and banana bread. Candied pineapple and ginger, ginseng. Oranges, tangerines, honey and a bit malty. A nice nosing whisky with a few curveballs. The palate has strong vanilla and floral notes with some honey and oak. Ginseng, ginger, oranges and tangerines. Peppery, a touch astringent. Anise, cinnamon and candle wax. The waxy notes really become front and center once you pinpoint them. Underripe cantaloupe, slightly salty but also a syrupy sweetness. Not as good as the nose, but still good. A light to medium bodied mouthfeel that is lightly oily and somewhat waxy. The finish is medium long, waxy, peppery, oak and vanilla. This whisky really showcases what Mizunara oak can do. I’m not a huge fan of Mizunara compared to American oak, but this one was well done. The profile immediately brought me back to Johnny Smoking Gun from Two James Spirits in Detroit. They are very similar, but this was far superior. I’m somewhere between a 3.5 and 3.75, but based on the price of around $55 I’ll have to go with 3.75. Cheers