Released in 2015, the Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish accomplished something that no other Islay whisky had at the time; it was the first Islay whisky to spend a portion of its life in Japanese Mizunara oak casks. Bowmore had exclusive access to these types of casks, being a Beam Suntory (now Suntory Global Spirits) brand. It should also be noted that only 2,000 bottles of this whisky were released. What’s more is that Mizunara oak has its own traits that make it a hot commodity for whisky use. Mizunara oak trees only grow in specific regions and must grow for roughly two hundred years before they can be harvested and used for whisky casks – assuming that the wood permits this use. Not only are these trees difficult to procure for cask usage, but they are also extremely hard to work with; the casks are difficult for coopers to shape and are prone to severe leakage. (Insert another shameless plug for a recent 88 Bamboo Instagram reel, which details the story of Mizunara oak!) These factors, along with this whisky being released nearly 10 years ago from the time of this writing, make it an extremely difficult bottle to find. 

The juice for this whisky was aged and matured in bourbon and sherry casks prior to spending its last three years of aging in the Mizunara oak casks. While this was a unique and first-of-its-kind feat at the time, other Scotch brands – although, not many – now have access to Japanese oak and use it for aging or finishing purposes. Amongst these are Dewar’s and Chivas, to name a couple. As a fan of the Mizunara effect on whisky, I was naturally eager to order a dram when I learned of its presence at a local bar. Let’s just say this whisky took me by surprise and was not what I was expecting. Is this a good or a bad thing? Read on to find out!

Tasting Notes

Nose: The nose on this dram is perhaps one of the more unique noses I’ve experienced in a whisky thus far – and in a good way! The first aroma that hits me immediately is that of fresh cut trees and sap. I can’t quite pin down the type of tree, but I want to say sassafras. The second most prominent note is a limy, citrusy zest, which is then proceeded by some delicate vanilla custard. All of these aromas are gently wrapped in a background presence of light peat smoke and ocean brine. Truly beautiful! 

Palate: The palate on this dram is grassy, herbal, and spicy, and presents more gentle peat smoke and coastal brine. Introduced to this part of the tasting experience are some young mangos and melons. While the palate is still delicious, frankly, it brought me back down to earth from the aromatic experience on the nose. 

Finish: The finish is medium in length and much shorter than I would have liked, but still offers a pleasant experience. On the finish, I found more citrusy elements, peat smoke, and vanilla custard. While the palate wasn’t as vibrant as the nose, the finish is lesser than the palate.

Final Thoughts

Contrary to some of my comments on the palate and finish, I did enjoy this whisky! There were simply some aspects that I wish were more pronounced and prolonged. The three years of Mizunara aging are potentially the source of that sassafras note, which I have not observed in Mizunara-influenced whiskies before. That makes this a memorable whisky. Present from the Mizunara cask use are the vanilla, spice, and tropical fruit notes.

Perhaps some of you may wonder how I know so much about sassafras trees; a fair question, indeed – and I promise I’m not pulling this out of you know where to sound knowledgeable. The answer is that my parents have sassafras trees on their property. Growing up, running around in the backyard, there were always these tiny, pesky green trees sprouting up throughout the yard. The tiny saplings from the largest of the sassafras trees always pollinated our yard in the form of tinier trees, which is the source from where I recall this nostalgic aroma. Alas, every time from now on when I visit my parents’ yard and walk amongst those pesky little trees, I’ll be reminded of this Bowmore Mizunara dram and smile at the fact of how two seemingly random things can be connected to one another and spark so much nostalgia.

My Score: 83.5/100*

*A disclaimer that my scores are bound to change as I continue to taste and review a given spirit. This score was the result of several tastings.

Rating System:

• 96–100; An absolutely stellar whisky. Easily a contender for best whisky I’ve ever had.
• 90–95; A great whisky. One of the best whiskies I’ve had. Higher end of this spectrum approaches legend status.
• 80–89; This is a solid, strong whisky. Something is missing that prevents it from being great, but this is still a bottle I’d like to have. Anything at or above this point deserves a spot on my home bar. Higher end of this spectrum approaches “great whisky” territory.
• 70–79; This is a good whisky. Anything in this range and above is something I would consider having on my home bar. Something I could easily sip on every day and something I can enjoy simply for what it is. Does not blow me away, but is still enjoyable.
• 60–69; I’ve had better whiskies. I wouldn’t turn this down if someone offered me a dram, but I also wouldn’t go out of my way to grab a dram.
• 50–59; Not all that good. Again, might not turn it down, but would certainly not go out of my way to grab a dram or find. Would not recommend.
• 50 and below; Not worth the time.

Breakdown of Score:

Tasting Experience (Each category out of 10 possible points, then totaled/weighted 50%): 42/50 points 

• Nose (out of 10 possible points) 10
• Palate (out of 10 possible points) 8
• Finish (out of 10 possible points) 7
• Balance, or how well the flavors work together (out of 10 possible points) 9
• Complexity, or number of notes/distribution amongst them (out of 10 possible points) 8

Tasting Experience Weighted Score of 42 

Bottle Aesthetics (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 20%): 8/10 points

Bottle Aesthetics Weighted Score of 16 

The Craft (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 20%): 9/10 points

The Craft Weighted Score of 18

Uniqueness (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 5%): 8/10 points

Uniqueness Weighted Score of 4 

Intangibles (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 5%): 7/10 points

Uniqueness Weighted Score of 3.5

Total Score = 83.5*

Explanation of Scoring Criteria:

There are five total categories that amount to what I value in a whisk(e)y, and each category is weighted accordingly to what I value the most. The breakdown is as follows:

• The Tasting Experience category is weighted 50%. 50 possible points are spread evenly across five sub-categories. These sub-categories are nose; palate; finish; balance; and complexity. The rest of the categories allow a possible of 10 points each, respectively, but have varying weights.
• The Bottle Aesthetics category is weighted 20%. In this section I factor in the visuals of the just the bottle, because bottles aren’t always sold with or presented on bar shelves with their accompanying boxes.
• The Craft category is also weighted 20%. This section takes into account the process of making the whisk(e)y and the type(s) of maturation that was/were used.
• The Uniqueness category is weighted at 5%. This category takes into account anything about the dram that stands out, such as whether it’s the first release of its kind or a rare limited edition – things of that nature.
• The Intangibles category is also weighted at 5%. This category is meant to reflect some miscellaneous categories – such as, but not limited to, the versatility of a whisk(e)y and whether or not it’s easy to find – and encompass the things you can’t always see coming – such as the significance of a whisk(e)y to me personally and anytime a dram evokes a feeling of nostalgia (which truly is a thing, at least for me!).

The weighted scores are then added together to total the final score.

Images courtesy of Whisk(e)y & Whatnot.

Whisk(e)y & Whatnot
🇯🇵 whisky lover/scotch adventurer

Read his column on 88 Bamboo here!