Mars Iwai

I actually bought this on a whim---it was reasonably priced relative to other Japanese malts. And then I realized why. The nose starts off delicate and floral...almost teasing you that the experience will be like a Hibiki 12. Then it falls apart on the palette. It's simply too spicy and sharp on the tongue, indicative of its youth. I think it greatly could've benefited from more time with the wood. I guess everything related to Japanese malts is soaring high nowadays....and once in a while, it's good to have something like this to remind us that not every Japanese malt is made equal.