For my first whisky review with 88 Bamboo, I felt no whisky would have been more appropriate than the Kaiyō Mizunara Oak Cask Strength whisky. This is not only the whisky that truly got me into whisky in the first place, but also the whisky that got me into Japanese whisky. Understandably so, I realize there may be some confusion with the latter half of that statement. To address this confusion, Kaiyō whiskies cannot be considered Japanese whisky by the now active JSLMA standards. I did not know about those standards – which were written but not fully in effect – when I first purchased a bottle of this whisky over two years ago. This whisky is labeled as “Japanese Mizunara Oak Whisky”, not as “Japanese whisky.” Do with that what you will!

Semantics aside, this whisky – along with most of the Kaiyō offerings – are aged exclusively in the venerated Japanese Mizunara Oak. Furthermore, the whisky also spends a small portion of its aging life on an ocean aging voyage outside of Japan. While the whisky may be distilled in Japan, it is not fully aged in or bottled in Japan. The master blender for Kaiyō, Jeffrey Karlovitch, has said that his goal with Kaiyō was not to create a Japanese whisky; rather, he wanted to create the best whisky in the world using the best components and techniques, some of which happen to be Japanese. Has he succeeded? Let’s find out!

Tasting Notes

Nose: The nose of a whisky is typically my favorite part and where I find the most intrigue. This whisky does present on the younger side with more of an overarching ethanol note. Despite this youth, it still delivers a sweet and rich nose with fruity notes of cherry, orange, apple, and pear. These fruits also contribute to what I feel is an herbal note. Atypical of the Mizunara Oak influence, there’s also slight incense and baking spice. Despite that Mizunara Oak effect, there are some other notes I detect which are not normally associated with the fabled wood, such as: caramel; toffee; butterscotch; chocolate; and some marshmallow, if you can believe that! Quite the adventurous nose!

Palate: The palate provides more of that richness from the nose along with an oily mouthfeel. The orange remains and has ripened somewhat to a succulent form, joined again with more of that chocolate and toffee from the nose. What’s different from the nose is a spicy, peppery kick towards the backend of the palate. And one more thing…there’s that marshmallow again!

Finish: The finish lingers in the form of a medium-long length with a reprisal of various notes from throughout the tasting experience. I’m revisited by the baking spices and juicy fruit. More peppery heat comes along for the ride and culminates in some vanilla…and with that vanillic finish also comes – you guessed it – some more marshmallow. Never have I ever detected marshmallow in a whisky before, and here it seems to be abundant in a good way!

My Thoughts

In my early days of whisky reviews, I have refrained from providing scores. I am currently working on a unique scoring system, but for the time being, I can certainly opine as to whether or not this is a good whisky and if any readers should try it. To that, I say yes and yes! This is a unique whisky due to the fact that it spends its entire life – albeit a short life – aging in those legendary Mizunara Oak casks. For the price of approximately $100 USD (give or take), this is a great whisky for those who want to experience a Japanese-influenced whisky and the luxurious Mizunara Oak effect.

Save for a few exceptions from the Japanese whisky heavy hitters, very few whiskies are aged exclusively in this remarkable cask type. Although, many distillers have finished certain offerings in Mizunara Oak casks. While the $100 USD price point may still be unapproachable for some, consider what the product is offering and how there are few “affordable” alternatives out there that conquer the same feat. 

Images courtesy of Whisk(e)y & Whatnot.

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

Read his column on 88 Bamboo here!