Kaiyo The Kuri

My experiences with Kaiyo have been consistently positive. While they appear to source their spirits, they put significant effort into making them distinctive. This bottling, labeled as the first in their Ariake Wood Collection, features a chestnut cask, which is a first for me and something I'm eager to explore. Nose: Smells like vanilla frosting, sandalwood, licorice, wild berries, sugar cookies, honeydew, a prominent lavender note, toasted almonds, orange and lemon citrus, honey, cashews, caramel, pound cake, and candy corn – it's incredibly diverse but very good. It also has big notes of clove, nutmeg, white pepper, and oak spice. It's all over the place, but truly excellent. Palate: The prominent lavender and sandalwood from the nose carry through significantly. It also has notes of honey, kiwi, vanilla frosting, dried apricot, honeydew and cantaloupe, toasted almonds, caramel, pound cake and sugar cookies, malt and toffee, maple syrup on pancakes, banana, walnut and pecan, grape and raisin, and Smarties candy. Finish: Notes of sandalwood, maple syrup, walnut and banana, sugar cookies, toasted almonds, raisin and grape, and coconut. There's also cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and wood spice. The finish is of moderate length. This is an outstanding experiment, and the chestnut cask is a success. Kaiyo continues to demonstrate their ability to generate original and engaging concepts, which is crucial given their limited selection of age-stated whiskies. They are certainly delivering. Score: 4.5/5. At $70, this is an excellent value for the quality. I am very keen to sample the rest of the Ariake Wood Collection and am pleased to have started at the beginning. Kudos to Kaiyo.

Very citrus and floral forward. Smooth finish. Almost like a dessert bourbon.