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Writer's pictureChris Yeo

Japanese, Kaiyö, Mizunara Oak Whisky, Original Peated and Cask Strength Blind Taste Test



(Image Source: @ChrisYeo.Whisky)


Region : Lowland / Highland ❓

Age : 12 ❓

ABV : 46% ❌

Bottler : OB ❌

Distillery : ❓


Nose: very initial alcohol burn, after a few minutes it toned down with nice floral like notes

Taste: light pepper bringing some bright fruit notes, ended with some wood

Finish: short with very light wood


Score :84, WB114488


After tasting discussion:

with the palate, it seems to be a good daily dram

at the moment, it has not been pointed out which distillery it may be


NAS, Unknown Scotland distillery, finished in Mizunara Oak approximately 3 months travelling in ship.


Further Info


"Kaiyo is double-distilled, 100% malt whisky, but it’s not single malt. Colloquially known as “teaspooned malt,” it is called such because it is largely from a single distillery in Japan, with a (theoretically) small amount of whisky coming from another producer. (“I don’t even think they really teaspoon it, but that’s what they say on the paperwork,” says Karlovitch.) Teaspooning is done to prevent the purchaser of a barrel from claiming it is 100% from a certain source — and thus unable to put said source’s name on their label — and it’s a practice that isn’t unique to Japan. (It is potentially one reason why Costco’s Kirkland can’t put the name of the distillery on some of its Scotch labels.) That said, these whiskies are purchased as white spirits directly from the distiller and are then aged to maturity by Karlovitch and Kaiyo."


"Kaiyo Whisky is very intriguing indeed, starting out as a teaspooned malt (with the bulk of the malt whisky coming from one distillery, along with a drop of malt whisky from another distillery, meaning it can't be called a single malt). It's matured in mizunara oak - mizunara can impart a wonderful array of flavours to the whisky, though its notoriously difficult for coopers to work with. Not only that, it spends a portion of its maturation at sea, helping to evolve its flavour profile further."


Penned by Chris Yeo (Instagram: @ChrisYeo.Whisky)

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