Kamiki Japanese Cedar Cask Finish Blended Malt

I picked up a bottle of Kamiki Maltage by chance from one of my favorite local fine whiskey retail establishments as one of my business partners swears by this stuff. After reading several reviews, I went into this taste cautiously optomistic. First of all: Kamiki Maltage is finished in Cedar Casks. That's new and different. But is it a case of " it's different cause no one else wants to use cedar casks?" Or was it a stroke of genius some master distiller in Japan figured out one day? I do typically like Cedar though. I like the smell, it reminds me of a good cigar humidor and it wards away moths ( I hang Cedar rings from my closet ). As you open this bottle you can't help but notice the hype plastered all over the box. London Spirits Silver, Ultimate Spirits Challenge Chairman's Trophy, LA Spirits Awards platinum AND Best World Whiskey Roman Whiskey Festival? This whiskey better not be advertising credentials that weren't well deserved. The nose on this one is a little odd. Smells of straw and something slightly salty and meaty? Weird.. I wonder if I can just smell some savory salty scents after coming off tasting a peated whiskey. Still, I did swap my glass for a fresh one so I am definitely not comingling the smells. The taste has an underlying sweet honey quality about it mixed with some sandalwood. There's a weird funk to this... could it be from the Cedar Casks? Its almost like there's a bit of damp wood taste, like a pile of firewood after a big rain. The finish is super fast. You do get a little bit of sweet tang reminiscent of canned mandarins but its super subtle. Mostly just more of the sweet honey and damp wood. I don't know... this isn't one of my favorites by a long shot but there's stuff in the price range that is way worse. Wouldn't buy it again but it was an interesting change from the norm.

Nose - Lightly floral, honey, sandalwood, roasted barley tea, hints of Chinese herbal medicine roots, dried ginseng, cedar Taste - Dried goji berries, hint of dried oolong tea, dried Chinese red dates, ginger heat, dried persimmon Finish - Lingering fruity barley tea, light candied ginger, Chinese red dates, dried persimmon sweet Score - 70/100 Final Thoughts - This was...interesting I guess. Had an interesting nose that I've only gotten before from a young specialty barley whiskey I had once at Westland Distillery in Seattle, WA. The cedar influence was very apparent but there was also this weird Chinese herbal medicine vibe/funk I got out of this one. This one tasted quite young and although interesting, was kind of weird. Didn't really feel very well put together and not sure if the cedar influence was just overpowering the malt or what, but it was just kind of weird all around. Would I drink it if offered? - Maybe Would I specifically order it? - Not anymore Would I buy a bottle? - Not another

Super barley grains from start to finish. Dried apricots, sandalwood, kaffir lime, honied floral dew, plantains, peppery, creamy, strong but not an entirely unpleasant wood astringency. White nectarines and Macintosh apple lingers. A very strong orchard/stone fruit character to it. I don't think I could pick out the cedar wood, only that it doesn't have the usual oak notes, French or American. Eventually oxidized revealing fried plantains and gummy dried apricots. Feels like an imitation of speysides. Lacks the complexity and age of scotch but still way better than the few domestic single malts I've tried. Miyagikyo is still the best Japanese malt I've had so far.

Tasting Methodology: Neat in a Canadian Glencarin class. Rested 10 minutes. Nose: sandalwood, cedar. Sweet red apple. Mouthfeel: dry hardwood bite. sharp warm tannins Palate: sweet sandalwood cedar. No floral or fruit, just wood 🪵 Finish: aged apple cider. lingering balsa wood that turns into bitter driftwood (ironwood) Rating: 8/10 - only because I prefer the Kamiki intense Price paid: $80 Value rating: 8/10 Overall: lovely, but the Kamiki intense is better

A unique smell dominates the nose, which I assume is from the Cedar casks. Sweet and floral are the best characteristics I can describe it, but with a twinge of bitter wood note. On the taste that twinge dominates, it presents as very floral with a heavy malt funk finish. Coming back to it the sweetness comes through more but that twinge never goes away. If you’re up for something different and like single malts that are grain and floral forward it’s worth a try.

This whiskey is matured on cedar cask, which allows me to get a very distinct aroma on the nose. On the palate I get fruits followed by a slight short burn, which is nice considering an ABV of 48%. A few drops of water opens it up and the cedar aroma dissipates to the back and on the palate, more fruity and delicate.