Kaiyō The Peated First Edition

I was impressed with the standard Kaiyo release, so I'm looking forward to see what the peated variant has to offer. This is my first review of a peated whisky that isn't from Scotland, unless you count the High West Campfire. Should be interesting. Nose: Mild smoke and sea salt with some iodine. Sandalwood. Big orange, with some lemon juice accompanying it. Apple, toffee, honey, and vanilla. Heavy malt and some oak. Not reminiscent of Islay, nor peated Speysiders for that matter, A bit restrained, but it's a good nose. Palate: Medicinal peat, but with very little smoke. Seaweed and ocean spray. Salted caramel, vanilla frosting, toffee, and milk chocolate. Apple, apricot, honeydew, grape, cherry, and pear. Orange, lemon, and grapefruit. Some salted almonds, cashew. Cucumber. Something I'd liken to Arizona Ginseng Honey Tea. Much more complex than the nose suggests. Fruit, citrus, sweet, and nutty notes are all amplified, while the peat is consistent. Very good. Finish: The peat finally manifests as smoky and saline. Some sea salt and iodine, plus campfire smoke. Lemon drops and orange peel. Dark chocolate and raspberry add some sweet and bitter notes. Black pepper, cinnamon, and sandalwood. Moderate length. Solid finish. This is a good one. The nose is a bit muted, but the taste and finish make up for it. Especially on the palate. This is a very interesting whisky. A clear departure from other peated whiskies I've tried previously. The Mizurara Oak influence is clear, so it's reminiscent of the original Kaiyo in that regard; overall, it's pretty unique. So how does it stack up to that baseline Kaiyo expression? Similar quality, maybe even slightly better. But the fact that it costs an extra 50% on top of what I paid for the standard release hurts the value. Factoring all of this, I put this a quarter star below what I had for the original. Still a damn good whisky, and one that I'd recommend for a fan of Japanese whisky, or for someone looking to experience peated whisky in a new light.

I have to admit that I don’t know how to review or score this. I tasted it as part of an advent calendar put together by a peated islay loving friend. So on first and second taste the only question I had is, what wood did they use to finish this islay so it’s so damn sweet and buttery? The reveal only deepened the mystery given the incomplete and somewhat obtuse story surrounding this malt. The peat and malt do indeed seem to be from islay which explains some of the tasting notes. Then ok it took a sea voyage, thus the salty notes. But that sweet, buttery texture is screaming a special wood finish. Thought maybe white dessert wine. But the wood I couldn’t place. Guess I’ve never had mizunara. I’d like to try it again. I think it comes together rather well and in a unique way. I need to spend some time with a bottle to see if this rating is too high. But I really enjoyed the sample. It’s the most unique scotch I’ve had in awhile.

Briny nose, the mizunara is very obvious and this whisky helped me clearly distinguish this wood influence more generally. There are hints of soy sauce or fishiness that is really obvious on the cork where it really soaked in in the bottle I picked up — almost to the point I thought something was wrong. There is sweetness right off the bat and it quickly turns spicier—I’m leaning towards saying it reminds me of Asian food (garlicy spices, fish sauce, some funk). I’m getting some vanilla but having a hard time picking up other flavors. Somewhat dry. Finish is relatively short. Peat is just barely there at the end and very pleasant. Takes well to water.

This review is for the second edition Nose: seagrass and slight salt, cherry blossom, peach, and orange peel Mouth: apple, caramel, burnt sugar cookies, molasses, cinnamon, and citrus Finish: spiced apple cider, distant campfire, vanilla, and almond Genuinely surprised and impressed by this, much more complex and flavorful than I expected. Delicate flavors abound, should appeal to bourbon or scotch drinkers

On the nose, hits with a strong peat smell with a hint of sweetness. Upon tasting I get the peat which immediately turns into the oak smoke. When the initial alcohol burns fades the oak mellows out into a very nice oak/peat flavor that lingers just long enough on the tongue before your next sip. Overall, very impressed with my first Japanese whisky.

The nose is nice and actually has a lot of agave, as well as coconut, peat, and a spring day floral/dirt thing going on; almonds, coconut water, biscuit, and oak; fairy dry; long, low burn; finishes with almonds, oak, and light, fresh coconut; overall solid and the peat is subtle and balanced, but doesn’t stand out to me, especially for the price