Kaiyo means: ocean. Mizunara oak. Un-chillfiltered. Malted barley.
TASTING NOTES: Kaiyo Cask Strengh is extremely smooth with great complexity and a lovely balance of fruit, silky malt, and a touch of dark chocolate.
The use of mizunara oak for whisky barrels was not what one would declare serendipitous, at least not in its early years. During World War II, Japan, like several other countries, was unable to receive imported goods, making the delivery of European or American oak barrels for whisky maturation impossible. Though it was not a priority to produce whisky, the demand for it increased greatly during this time period and became the primary drink consumed by the Japanese army. With this, Japanese coopers and whisky makers sought a domestic alternative to mature whisky in and found it in Japanese oak, more popularly identified as mizunara oak.