Source: Kaiyo
Barrel #: 5663
Proof: 112 Proof
Age: 3 Years & 3 Additional Months at Sea
Tasting Notes: Yet another surprising riff on what Japanese whisky can be. Juniper and warm cedar immediately jump through on the nose - did you accidentally pick up a bottle of barrel-aged gin? A more familiar baseline returns on the palate with orange peel, allspice, and light brown sugar, before a teasing melody of cigarette smoke on the outro. Sipping gin martinis in a downbeat club captured in a bottle, without the cost of a flight to Tokyo.
About: Kaiyo is a Japanese Mizunara oak aged whisky. What makes this spirit so special is the bespoke oak barrel selection. Mizunara oak is some of the most expensive wood available. The impeccable character of the wood imparts distinctive notes onto every spirit. However, its delicate wood grain nature makes it quite challenging to cooper.
Kaiyo whisky is aged in handmade, bespoke Mizunara oak casks. These barrels are crafted from slow growth, air-seasoned wood from hand-selected trees. After the whisky is aged, it is finished at sea, imparting even more distinctive character the spirit. This unique sea voyage departs from Osaka Japan, and the journey can take up to 3 months.
This whisky gets its exquisite character first and foremost from the Mizunara oak. The oak’s lactones ratio and vanilla impart sweet, spicy, exotic notes of incense, sandalwood, and coconut. Other notes like tea and subtle hints of citrus appear all throughout the nose and palate.