Shinobu Blended Whisky Mizunara Wood Finish (70cl, 43%)

Shinobu Blended Whisky Mizunara Wood Finish is a Japanese blend of malt and grain whiskies in equal parts, bottled at 43% in a 70cl bottle. It is non-chill-filtered and has no added colouring. The blend is matured in ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso sherry casks, then finished in Japanese mizunara oak. Shinobu is based in Niigata prefecture, where founder and master blender Ken Usami received the first whisky distilling licence in 2017. He selects the malt and grain whiskies from several distilleries and oversees the mizunara finish. The nose brings butter, coconut sweets, mint, grass and wood. The palate is soft and slightly oily, with gentle incense alongside butter and vanilla. The finish is long, with sandalwood, oak and vanilla.