Kaiyō is an independent bottler that purchases whisky from Japanese producers, then ages and bottles them under the Kaiyō label. In this case barrels of Japanese single malt were purchased from an unknown distillery and then “teaspooned” (blended with a small amount of whisky from another distillery). The whole process is overseen by Kaiyō’s master blender and director of whisky creation, Jeffrey Karlovitch. Though it’s said to all be distilled in Japan, this caveat (and ocean aging) prevents Kaiyō to be labeled a Japanese Whisky. Kaiyō whisky is aged for at least 3 years on land using Ariake Sangyo cooperage in new Japanese mizunara oak casks. The whisky is then blended before being loaded on to shipping containers and heading out to sea from Osaka Japan on a 3 month journey. Let’s get to it!
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested about 15 minutes.
Produced by: Kaiyō Trg Ltd., Osaka, Japan.
Imported in the US by: Park Street Imports, Miami FL.
Proof: 106, un-chillfiltered.
Age: NAS (said to be at least 3 years on land) and additionally aged at sea for 3 months.
Mash bill: 100% Malted Barley.
Price: $90.00.
Appearance: Light golden honey.
Nose
Delicate malt, vanilla, sandalwood, gingerbread, pears, marzipan, coconut, orange blossom, cloves, dill, allspice and chocolate. As the glass rests more tropical and chocolate notes come forward. The balance of malt, tropical fruit, allspice, herbs and oak is fantastic on this complex and incredible nose.
Palate
This has a medium oily viscous mouthfeel which does a good job of coating the palate. This nose transfers to the palate very well with malt, sandalwood, ginger, vanilla, coconut, marzipan, orange blossom, cloves and dill. Allspice enters mid sip with a nice little kick and lingers for a long time into the finish. This is a very well balanced and delicious pour. It’s also worth mentioning the proof point does a great job of elevating this profile while still allowing it to be a super easy sipper.
Finish
Allspice lingers on the palate with stone fruit, sage and pecans. Subtle oak and tannins of tobacco emerge for a medium long and decent finish.
Conclusion
As a guest on the YouTube channel “My Bourbon Journey”, Jeff Karlovitch and Adam Parker from Kaiyō were joined by (the host) Scott Page and Jason from Mash & Drum to do a tasting for the channels Kaiyō barrel pick. There were some interesting tidbits Jeff said throughout the show that I thought I’d share. Kaiyō is exclusively aged in mizunara oak (with a #2.5 char) and has not touched any other kind of wood for aging. Karlovitch took inspiration for ocean aging Kaiyō whisky from his experience as master distiller at Kelt Cognac, which also ocean ages their barrels. Interestingly, Kelt Cognacs ocean aging predates “Jefferson’s Ocean” by over 20 years. When Jeff began working with Kelt he was very skeptical of ocean aging but was won over when he did his own comparisons. During the show Jeff went on to say, “Mizunara gets most of its flavors from its first three years of life. After about two and a half to three years it kind of goes dormant. It’s hard to tell the difference between a three year old mizunara and a six year old mizunara. If I did an ocean maturation, would it invigorate the spirit, invigorate the wood, will the maturation process start over again? And what we found out, (is) it did. Hence why it’s so important to Kaiyō. That’s why we came up with the name. Kaiyō means “Ocean” so without that ocean maturation, we thought the brand would be very difficult, with different flavor profiles that we’d be looking to pull out.” Jeff then talked about the specific routes the ship takes to get the desired affect considering differences in temperature and humidity.
I didn’t purchase this bottle of Kaiyō for its ocean aging but if that played a major role in this whisky being as good as it is, then I’m all for it. All said and done, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this mizunara aged whisky, and made it a point to expand my horizons this year to try more Japanese whisky. Yes, I realize that Kaiyō isn’t legally a Japanese whisky, but I’m off to a good start. I’m really pleased with this purchase and highly recommend Kaiyō Cask Strength if mizunara oak is your jam. Cheers!
Rating
7.6/10
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
