Ichiro's Malt MWR Mizunara Wood Reserve

I've had a few Mizunara finished whiskies now and whilst not as impressive as some other oak species finishes e.g. Caspian sea, French Chesnut, done well it does impart a lovely flavour. Apparently usage came about at the end of World War II, Japan faced shortages of imported casks to age whisky so whisky makers had to do something and they began to use the native oak, mizunara. The oak does not grow straight, it has a high moisture content and it’s much more porous than other varieties, he says. These issues make the casks prone to leaking. Its name, apparently, translates to “water oak.” Amazingly the tree needs to be 200 years old before they can use it for whisky casks. Why is unclear but it means casks sell for up to $6000 so for the cheaper whiskeys which use it I guess this necessitates short finishing. Yamazaki 18 is a great expensive whiskey but even that has less than 20% mizunara casking . Lovely sandalwood, incense flavour as official notes describe. I'm impressed with this distillery. People rave about 'Japanese' whiskey but most is either stupidly priced if single malt, overpriced and average if blended malt or outright not even Japanese distillate or even much casking in Japan. This is a good example of a fairly priced Japanese whiskey that is actually Japanese and does it well. Initially I thought good but nothing special but by the end I was really savouring ever drop 4 to 4.25 easy and that is on a jaded palate that has consumed several whiskies prior. Give this one time.

Ichiro's Malt Mizunara Wood Reserve, 2010 Release An elegant Japanese blended malt crafted by Ichiro Akuto & bottled in 2010, This vatting holds liquid from Hanyu & Chichibu that has been aged in Japanese Mizunara casks. It has an aromatic birth with notes of oak, honey & toast, orange, sweet & light citrus, hints of grapefruit & sugar; while a rich & tangy life adds notes of sherry, dark chocolate, spice, fruit, malt, hints of honey & toffee apples, caramel, vanilla, nut, black pepper & pine; that led to a quick & spicy death. September 2017 / April / June 2018 / August 2022

Great stuff. Smooth and has flavors of raisins, apples, citrus, caramel, vanilla, white chocolate, cinnamon, Barrel spices, and pears. You even get Yamazaki and hibiki flavors incorporated here.

Not able to evaluate properly or fairly as the profile of the liquid has changed dramatically. What I remembered and what I tasted from the same bottle 2 years ago is vastly different.

Butterscotch and ashy aroma. Dense rolling legs show its richness. Taste not as sweet as the nose implies, but more like Brazil nut with white pepper.

Love this whisky. Great balance with spicy, sweet, oak and fruit. Possibly a little bitter on the finish due to the strong Mizunara influence.