ABV: 43 %
Origin: Japan
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dense and overly sweet. A thick desserty layer of baked red apples, marzipan and a thick layer of sweetness covers most of the nose. There’s caramel, honey and vanilla, but it’s mostly just a grain sweetness coming through. There’s a different kind of fruitiness sitting in the back, but it’s harder to pinpoint. It seems to come from the ex-sherry casks though. It’s leaning towards overly ripe plums. A hint of the mizunara oak comes through in small flashes.

Mouth: A mild start with vanilla and minty freshness soon changes into a grain note. After a few seconds the fruitiness comes through together with a now much stronger Mizunara oakiness. It’s very distinct and hard to miss. It brings a touch of bitterness to the mix. The fruitiness is now coming from ripe red fruits. An anise note has now appeared. It’s not as grain heavy as on the nose and it’s less sweet. There are still notes of honey and caramel though.

Finish: First there’s just a big hole where the taste should be and then the sweetness returns. The fruitiness is now residing in the back. It then quickly becomes quite oaky. It’s a slightly dry oak with a clear note of anise attached to it and it is a touch bitter. The finish is quite short and just a feint hint of the oakiness stays around. The whole thing feels a bit a unbalanced throughout and the grain spirit really brings down what could have been a great whisky. It’s still a better blend than many alternatives out there.

Additional information
Japanese Harmony is a blend made with malt whiskies from Yamazaki and Hakushu and grain whisky from Chita. It’s aged in 5 different cask types. Disclosed types are american white oak casks, ex-sherry casks and Mizunara oak casks.