Rating: 17/23 I haven't tried Hungarian oak before, but I've been wanting to for quite some time. I expect it to be a lot like French oak, which honestly isn't my favorite, but really isn't bad either. N: A bit young with some kind of undercooked meat to it. But restrained undercooked meat. A little sweetness or something somewhere, but that's about it. P: Mizunara?! I didn't see that coming. It has that sandalwood flavor and nice sweetness with restrained vanilla. This could be the result of a combination of oak flavors and not the Hungarian oak all on its own, but it's very interesting and quite tasty! Some nice coconut that isn't super oily and bold ,but definitely comes in. I do get youthfulness with light grain, ethanol, and that usual Irish whiskey oiliness. There are also some harsh spices, which isn't great. But there's also a little nectarine nectar, which is just delightful. I also get some surprising coffee flavor in here at points. F: That sandalwood sure lingers. Also, the coffee sticks around. And so do the burning spices and odd oily Irish whiskey flavor. - Conclusion - This is an odd one. It doesn't quite stick the landing, but it really does quite nicely with some very interesting flavors. It's a little immature, but I'd love to try an older, more refined version of this. I haven't been too impressed by Killowen so far, but this one really changes my mind. To compare that mizunara blast, I pulled out my bottle of The Shin 10 (16/23). The Shin is peated and a bit funkier, but it really highlights that sandalwood profile. There's more sulphur to The Shin though, making it less appealing. It also has a more bitter profile to the sandalwood. Honestly, it tastes cheap in comparison to this - there's just such a decadent purity here that it doesn't match (though that does also result in more alcohol flavor coming through). A couple more sips of The Shin and this is no longer a crushing defeat for it. Some more vegetal and herbal notes come out amid smoky nuance as the sulphur subsides. I'd still take this, but it's not such a clear victory. Nikka From the Barrel (/23) is richer and malter and more decadent than this is. The Nikka is at least a high 17 though and it might even be an 18 that I underrated. The gist though is that the Nikka is better than this is. It doesn't have that same unique blast to it, but it's just a better quality dram. How far below it is this though? Well, Highland Park 16 Wings of the Eagle (17/23) has some funky smoke and bourbon decadence and perhaps a little too much boldness. I'm finding this to be pretty competitive based on its decadence - though it definitely shows more alcohol and is less complex. McIvor 17 (16/23) has some nice decadence, but it isn't on the same level as this. I think I have to go with a 17 here, though I could be convinced of a 16. Really, I could go either way on this one, but I'm thinking it's a low 17. This is a really nice dram and a great demonstration of Hungarian oak and (hopefully) Killowen's skill and potential. Thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for giving me this to try!