Miyagikyo, Moscatel Wood Finish, 2017, 46% abv.

This is an interesting release. In the later part of 2017, Nikka released Yoichi and Miyagikyo Moscatel Wood Finish for the Japanese market, but a Yoichi and Miyagikyo Rum Wood Finish in the old and new world. There was some controversy as well as cheering for releasing two different types for three separate markets, but perhaps the production count warranted it? I'm just lucky I can try one.

Nose: pretty unique and hard to place, like a moldy swimming pool with wet newspapers, vegetative, plain cereal, light used cardboard, theres a hint of candy sweetness in there.

Palate: initially light wet old steamed lotus leaves with honey (something like bad tea) and then transforms to a very sweet, rum like back palate and finish, a little dry.

Finish: very sweet, light rum, powdery and nutty tongue-feel which I am not sure if thats an effect from the dryness.

Wow, the taste is quite good! Just the nose is really weird, extremely hard to place or deconstruct into famililar elements, and unbalanced. The juice hits you in the front and at the end, most notably an algalmation of a few strong flavors in one wave. I think this straddles grade boundaries; I tend to be conservative so I'll have to lower the grade.

Grade: C+

Whiskyfun.com, Angus, sgp:442, 82 points

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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