A pleasant surprise! Nose: Sweet (vanilla) and sour (grain and funk) Palette: Begins delicate and sweet (vanilla). I haven’t been able to tell what type of barrels they use. I wondered if they use a bit of Mizunara, but they would probably say so if they did. The initial taste is eventually largely dominated by peat and spice. Finish: Peat lingers for a long, warm finish. Though this blends whiskeys up to 12 years old, it tasted a bit young. Still, for the price, I’d be interested I getting a bottle. However, I’d be interested in trying the Hatozaki Small Batch given the small price increase and the fact it explicitly lists Mizunara. #7 Japanese advent calendar 2022