I would like to thank Kamiki Whisky for providing tonight’s samples with no strings attached.
As I write this, it is election day in the United States. Theoretically, election season will be over after tonight. But since I was still getting emails and texts from people either asking for money or threatening me with a loss of “Law and Order” as of 15 minutes ago…I’m not convinced that this is the end of anything. All I can say is that over the course of the next week, I hope that half of you get what you want and that half of you do not. All the while, knowing that almost half of you don’t care one way or the other.
God, I love how statistics can be both accurate and complete nonsense at the same time.
Anyway, on to something that has nothing to do with the election, or even the United States: a couple of Japanese Whiskies. In this case, provided by Kamiki Whisky. Just so that we have it all out on the table, I know next to nothing about Japanese Whisky. Over the years, I’ve gathered that it is closest in style to Scotch whisky.
“But wait,” you are asking, “don’t you hate Scotch whisky? Why are you reviewing this then?”
Well, no. I don’t hate Scotch whisky. I’ve just found very few that I enjoyed. But I requested these samples mostly because I have tasted whiskies from Japan that I didn’t mind, and I thought the finishing on these sounded interesting. Both Kamiki and Umiki are malt whiskies that have been finished in casks made of non-standard wood. According to Master of Malt, the Kamiki is “a unique blended malt whisky made using Japanese malts whiskies combined with specially selected malt whiskies from around the world.” That blend is then finished in Japanese Cedar casks. Umiki, on the other hand, is cut with purified ocean water and then finished in Japanese Pine casks. Never having had the opportunity to taste a whiskey finished in either pine or cedar, I requested samples when they sent me a press release.
Let’s see how this goes.
Umiki Japanese Whisky
Purchase Info: Kamiki Whisky graciously provided this sample for review purposes. They do not list a suggested price, but Total Wine in Denver, CO lists it for $45.49
Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.07
Details: Blended malt using purified ocean water for dilution and Japanese Pine casks for finishing. 46% ABV.
Nose: Clean and fresh with dried apples and malted grains.
Mouth: Cinnamon, dried fruit, and malted grains.
Finish: Medium length with a gentle heat. Cinnamon, malted grain, and just a hint of smoke linger.
Thoughts: I'm of two minds about this whiskey. While on one hand, I think that I would happily drink this all night if I was with a friend that wanted it, I also think that it won't be one that I reach for very often. It isn't quite to my palate. But I still kinda like it.
Kamiki Japanese Whisky
Purchase Info: Kamiki Whisky graciously provided this sample for review purposes. They do not list a suggested price, but Total Wine in Madison, Wisconsin lists it for $65.99
Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.40
Details: Blended malt made using malts from Japan and around the world. Japanese Cedar casks for finishing. 48% ABV.
Nose: Antiseptic and metallic. Sugar sweetness underneath.
Mouth: Sweet, antiseptic, Caramel and malted grains.
Finish: Sweet and long. Antiseptic and metallic notes dominate.
Thoughts: I do not like this one. And it is for the same reason I don't like many Scotch Whiskies. I don't like antiseptic or metallic flavors. There is also a numbing sensation to this that I'm not thrilled with. I can accept that there are many people in the world that may love this. However, I am not among them.
Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.
Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.