Daimyo-no Shinobu Blended Japanese Whisky (70cl, 40%)

Daimyo-no Shinobu is a blended Japanese whisky made by master blender Ken Usami at the Shinobu Distillery in Niigata. It is bottled in a 70cl bottle at 40% ABV, with no added colour or artificial ingredients. The blend combines selected grain and malt whiskies matured in several types of oak, then finished in Japanese Mizunara oak, which adds a spicy, incense-like character. The name pairs 'Shinobu', meaning patience or forbearance, with 'Daimyo', after the feudal lords of Japan. The tasting notes describe toasted grain, ripe orchard fruit, vanilla and a little nuttiness on the nose. The palate is balanced between sweetness and oak, with caramel and Mizunara spice, and the finish is long and warming with gentle dried fruit.