Glendalough Mizunara Finish 7 Year Old Single Malt Whiskey 750ml Bottle

Glendalough is a beautiful distillery in Ireland. They released their first batch of Mizunara Cask, which marries a fine Irish single malt with Japanese Mizunara oak – reportedly the most complexly-flavored oak known to man. First, you must give them credit for designating a batch number on their first distilling/aging – that signifies confidence that it will be worthy of repeating. Second, you must give them more credit for a 3-digit batch number, not batch 1, or even batch 01, but batch 001 – that is uber confidence of a very long line of batches for this distillation and aging. The nose is fruity and sweet. The palate dramatically opposes the nose – it flows over the tongue like a mist or a fog, lighter than any liquid, beginning with sandalwood – a bit of a mouth-numbing effect, then enters dark chocolate, orange peel, and cinnamon – starting subtly, then building to a crescendo of citrus, spice, cinnamon, malt, and vanilla. The toasted oak, the dark chocolate, the sandalwood, and a little cedar live long on the tongue for a finish that is unbelievably long. This is one of the most complex, unique drams I’ve had the pleasure of tipping. The Mizunara oak is truly magical. Drink slow, drink long, drink a variety, drink often.