Writers' Tears Copper Pot Japanese Mizunara Cask Finish

Exactly what expected: some extra added to the normal Writers' Tears bringing bit more complexity. Nose: sandalwood.spiky. warming spices, sweet. Melone. Citrus. Palate: soft, biscuity/grainy first. Sweet. Juicy in mid palate then pungent. Finish: intense for a short time then, woody, a little bit drying. Ginger. Sweet. Dryness and sweetness remain longer. Water adds vanilla on nose, softens palate a bit. Ginger remains longer on finish.

As promised (for anyone keeping track), I revisited the Writers'Tears Mizunara Cask side-by-side with the Chivas Regal Mizunara. My initial suspicions were confirmed: comparable whiskies but the Chivas Regal is a $50 bottle while the Writers' Tears was $100. First, I will say that the Writers' Tears is better today than I remember from yesterday, for whatever reason. I do notice more fruity floral qualities with a woodsy smokiness on the end (maybe there is some sandalwood incense after all? 😅). As I noted previously, there's still a harsh quality to this that makes it somewhat unpleasant. I also noticed a cinnamon-esque bite at the end in the finish - but it's an artificial cinnamon in a cinnamon candy kind of way. By comparison, the nose is more mossy and less pleasant on the Chivas - but the mouthfeel and flavor are noticeably better. My wife did this side-by-side with me tonight, and she agrees. The Chivas drinks softer and sweeter. I get a honey quality (mirin maybe?) as well as nuttiness. There's also a slight ocean quality to this that helps round the whole thing out. Honestly, I like this (the Chivas) a lot more than I remember liking it in the past.

I have been waiting a long time to get my hands on this bottle and... It's fine. Not worth $99. I'm going to revisit at a later date after the bottle has a chance to open up (and I want to try it side by side with the Chivas Regal Mizunara, which was considerably cheaper), but I did want to highlight one thing... Tasting notes from the box: "Flashes of green fruits, apple and pear, hints of vanilla and clove over a distinctive pot still base give way to the exotic oriental notes of sandalwood, coconut, spice and Japanese incense." ... What a crock of shit! 🤣 "Exotic oriental notes? Japanese Incense?" Yeah, okay 🙄 Someone in marketing was really reaching on this one