Chivas Regal Mizunara

N: Mizunara, obviously. Duh. Bought this to get a better sense of what that is, basically. Everyone says sandalwood. Unfortunately, I don't know what that really smells like either. But what stands out here, and reminds of Japanese whisky, to me, is a soft, delicate, woody, sawdust sort of smell layered with marshmallows, vanilla cream, and candle wax. It's something I recognize from Japanese whisky, but had not realized what it was before. Now I know. Mission accomplished. Beyond the Mizunara, there's some traditional scotch fruit - peach and pear - with slightly more than a hint of booze. Digging deeper, surprising citrus with lemon cookies and maybe a dash of baking spice. P: Mizunara on the palate comes across smooth, not very tannic, with a taste that's similar to the nose, but maybe a little more blended - more like a woody marshmallow vanilla cream than the separate parts from the nose. After that, big red fruit flavor with dried cherries making the most obvious noise. Orchard fruit and stone fruit follow, more subtle. Almond slivers follow in abundance. Sweet bread backbone leads to the baking spice finish - mostly cinnamon, not too hot, but it lingers a good while and plays nice with the still present wood and vanilla from the Mizunara. Also hints of cardamom, coriander, and dried ginger. Super interesting experiment whisky. As I said, I bought this to see if I could learn what Mizunara adds to a whisky. I think it worked - there are flavors in this that are very recognizable from, and seemingly unique to, Japanese whisky. I can only assume, until proven otherwise, that they come from the Mizunara. That experience, for a whisky nerd, is worth the price of admission here. And, honestly, this is pretty damn tasty - if the price was right, I'd probably just grab this again occasionally to have a nice weeknight sipper. $50 MSRP is a bit steep, but you might find it closer to $30 - worth it there.

Tonight, I revisited the Mizunara side-by-side with Hibiki Japanese Harmony, which is about equally priced, and the Yamazaki 12, which is admittedly more expensive. On the nose, the Mizunara is herbal and slightly dank - very similar to the Hibiki, but more marshy, less sweet, and a bit more harsh. There's a hint of rich fruit to the Yamazaki that gives it a different quality, like a hint of ripe melon, with additional notes of caramel, toffee and condensed milk as it sits out. The Japanese Harmony picks up some sweetness as it opens, also. On the other hand, after a minute, the nose on the Mizunara seems lighter (it may be because it is comparably less aromatic and I came back to it after the Yamazaki). Flavorwise, the Chivas is a bit harsher tasting than the Hibiki but surprisingly similar. Both are herbal, but the Chivas Mizunara barrel has a slightly deeper flavor profile, with a bit more bitterness and kick. The Yamazaki is the sweetest of the three, but only barely. The Yamazaki is higher pitched and smoother, with a sour note by comparison and far less medicinal quality. Coming back to the Mizunara after the Yamazaki makes me think it is different but not necessarily inferior. This time, I'm almost getting licorice notes at the end on the Mizunara. The Japanese Harmony has the shortest finish, but is very smooth with almost no burn. The Yamazaki lingers a bit longer, but has a slight burn. The Mizunara lingers the longest, but the herbal quality that stays through the end is slightly off-putting. It has the most burn comparably but it's still quite smooth. The Hibiki is the lightest in color, followed by the Chivas, followed by the Yamazaki at darkest, but all are pretty close

Tonight, I revisited Writers'Tears Mizunara Cask side-by-side with the Chivas Regal Mizunara. My initial suspicions were confirmed: comparable whiskies but the Chivas Regal is a $50 bottle while the Writers' Tears was $100. Regarding the Writers' Tears, I notice fruity floral qualities with a woodsy smokiness on the end (maybe there is some sandalwood incense after all? 😅). There's still a harsh quality to this that makes it somewhat unpleasant. I also noticed a cinnamon-esque bite at the end in the finish - but it's an artificial cinnamon in a cinnamon candy kind of way. By comparison, the nose is more mossy and less pleasant on the Chivas - but the mouthfeel and flavor are noticeably better. My wife did this side-by-side with me, and she agrees. The Chivas drinks softer and sweeter. I get a honey quality as well as nuttiness. There's also a slight ocean quality to this that helps round the whole thing out. Honestly, I like this a lot more than I remember liking it in the past.

Granny smith apples still on the tree. A wisp of velvety cream then smoke. Some fine wood rounding it but never making itself unwelcome. Very, very nicely composed so its already a little Japanese that way. The casking is partial (bottle says 'some') so the full effect is hard to discern but you do notice the wood had more going for it than European or american by itself flavor-wise. Really makes me want to try a finish with more Mizu because again: the wood tastes great. Nose is butterscotch and vanilla for me. In the middle I'd maybe add the malt and grain whisky usage gives suuuuuch a luxurious cream/rich/malt it would be a shame to not enjoy this one neat. The finish is really smooth. I think Chivas could've given us a little more than 40%, but oh well. It wouldve gone to 4.0 or 4.25 easily with some more punch. The wife picked this out for my birthday as a surprise. Wife knows best ;)

I am a chivas fan, and i can tell you that after Royal Salute 21yo, this one is their best expression maybe paired with the "Ultis" one. Its name, "mizunara" comes from the special japanese cask they have used to partly mature it. Originally it was intended only for the japanese market. Bottled at 40%abv, tawny color. On the nose, vanilla cookies, the ones use to make the crest of a pie. Floral notes, orange, flour, a small herbal spiciness also present. Very nice aroma. On the palate, it is very tasty. Yeah, that is the proper description. Allspice, Vanilla, Oaky; that Almond/Nutty typical note from Chivas. Ashes and coal. Pretty stuff. Aftertaste is mizunara oaky, i consider this a perk. Overall this is a very nice dram, i believe it costs around 50$ so you might as well grab it. My score for it is 87 over 100.

Lovely nose of ripe fruit (banana, apple, pear), vanilla, and a bit of spice. On the tongue there is an initial sweetness and the taste of ripe fruit, malt, again the vanilla and oak spice. As you hold and savor the flavors of the dram an astringency develops---not in a bad way---just enough to invite another sip. I prefer this to the standard Chivas 12, but do think it tends to be over priced, at least so in my area.