Day #6 - 2022 Whiskey Advent Calendar

Day six and while I am feeling a bit tired and not quite in the mood for a glass of whiskey, let's pour a wee amount and see if inspiration strikes.

A very interesting initial sniff as I poured tonight's sample. Straight away a solid hit of vanilla and oak but then a rush of red fruit, specifically fresh cherries. Sitting here sniffing away for a few minutes, and honestly I have no real sense of what it is I am smelling here. How intriguing, the mystery has significantly perked me up. 

Digg...err sniffing deeper I am struggling to discern specific characteristics. This is a very soft spirit, understated in its aroma. There is a floral aspect to the smell, a sweet but not overly so attribute, reminiscent of how jasmine strikes me. Vanilla is also present, in equal proportions to the floral component. The alcohol is gentle; while detectable, it never exerts itself into dominating the smell. I am still flummoxed by what's in the glass...

The first tastes are notable - a larger than expected surge of ethanol. The nose had me guessing this was a lower proof whiskey, but the taste tells a different story entirely. Ignoring the alcohol, there is a strong vanilla note, a decent amount of oak, and a very light floral bitterness on the palate. The whiskey does not linger all that much throughout each sip, it arrives, it says hello, and then departs the stage shortly after. Each sip follows a pattern - arriving with a strong alcohol push, a good dollop of vanilla, a hearty swab of oak, a jolt of young grain, a dash of bitterness, and a departing pinch of black pepper.

The finish is short in length flirting with medium. Alcohol tingle dominates the finish, with a cream corn meets crème brûlée sweetness sitting in the middle.

Holy moly, I am still clueless as to what is in my glass tonight. I have no firm guesses to offer, so I will try to channel my inner-Sherlock and deduce an educated guess. I think this is predominately a corn based whiskey. I think it is quite young (4 years or less). I think it is flirting with a strength of 50% ABV. I think this has been matured in new and used oak (ex-bourbon only, no wine influence). I think there is a chance this is a blend of two (or more) varieties of whiskey. Lastly, I believe this whiskey was produced outside of the United States of America. The smell and taste are wholly unique to anything produced in the USA that I've tasted. Naming a specific country of origin is tough, but I'll go with someplace in either Europe or Asia. All in all, a very unique experience for me.

My Guess

Type/Style: Corn-based Whiskey (Possibly a blend)

Region: Europe or Asia

Age: 4 years old

Maturation: New and used oak (ex-bourbon)

Strength: 50% ABV

Producer: No idea

Sip, Mix, or Skip?: Skip

 

Reveal

Name: Iwai 45

Type/Style: Blended Japanese Whisky

Region: Japan (Nagano)

Age: Non-age stated (estimated 2-5 years)

Maturation: Ex-bourbon

Strength: 45% ABV

Producer: Mars Shinshu

Price: $35

Official Tasting Notes

These days we are used to solid Single and Blended Malt Spirits coming from Japan. But the Mars Shinshu Distillery came out with their Blue Label Whiskey a few years back which is an attempt at what they call "American style" Whiskey — which means Bourbon in any language. Mars Iwai 45 is a higher proof — 45% ABV — version of that same Spirit designed for making cocktails. The mash bill is decidedly high corn (75%) and relatively high malted barley (25%). And it’s aged in ex-Bourbon casks, so the flavor profile is decidedly American, but the uniqueness of the environment and distilling techniques in Japan yield a "stewed fruit" flavor profile.

Final Thoughts

Well I am going to give myself a pat on the back for this one. Without question, this sample was the most unique pour of the set (granted, we're only 25% through the calendar), but I took my time and was able to sift through the wackiness and construct a fairly accurate guess. Iwai 45 is indeed a blend of two whiskey types: 75% of the blend is a corn whiskey and the remaining 25% is a malted barley whiskey. Scuttlebutt on the Interwebz speculates that the malted barley whiskey was produced by Mars Shinshu at their Nagano distillery, but the grain whiskey is most likely sourced from outside of Japan. While I was off by 5% on the strength, my hunch on the whisky's youthfulness was spot-on. Coming in at 2-5 years old, I am betting a side effect of youth is the exaggerated alcohol presence that threw me off the trail.

 

While I marked this whisky as a 'Skip', its $35 price point has me second guessing that slight. Truthfully, I am shocked that a whisky that has some legitimate ties back to Japan is not priced an order of magnitude higher. Given the reasonable price point, it is not outrageous to suggest purchasing a bottle to keep on your shelf merely for the spectacle of bewildering whisky-loving friends and family. Granted, the actual whisky has plenty of rough edges, however the overall experience is so unique that it actually becomes, on the whole, enjoyable. That enjoyment is enough to justify its (relatively) meager price tag in my opinion. I am glad I pushed through my initial low enthusiasm for this sample, it was great fun working through the twists and turns and formulating my guess.