Hi guys,
My latest YouTube video has dropped here, where I discuss does maturing whisky in Japanese Mizunara Oak Casks give the whisky unique flavours? If so, what do they taste like? I’ve tried a number, either finished or fully matured. What do you think? Does Mizunara Oak add something unique that you think stands out from whisky matured in other types of Oak?
Kampai
Brian
Nose: Ah the scent of youth. Vegetal, yeast, smokeless mezcal, poached pears, oak, a musty note, lemon detergent. Tasted blind, everyone in my Japanese Whisky Club picked this as a very young whisky(new pot).
Palate: Follows the nose faithfully and but also some prickly spices and honey.
Finish: Yeast, honey, lemons, smokeless mezcal and some drying oak.
Last Word: Tastes young and lacks complexity. Mizunara oak has been elevated to a somewhat mythical status that is in reality out of proportion to it’s influence on the spirit. I would caution that expectations should be tempered. Any special qualities that this wood may impart are usually quite subtle. 8-10 years fully matured in Mizunara oak and bottled at cask strength may well be a different story as proven by a Mizunara Single Cask I tasted at the Chichibu Distillery.
Rating: 78/100