Glendalough Mizunara Finish 7 Year Old Single Malt Whiskey 700ml 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.