After 15 years in a first-fill bourbon cask, this was already an exceptional single malt. It had vibrant citrus notes over the long, sweet honey and vanilla you'd expect. It was the rare, Japanese Mizunara, however that brought the unexpected.

The Mizunara oak, sourced from an island 6,000 miles away, has really rounded this whiskey, bringing the viscosity to a luxurious, creamy mouth-feel. Sweet but spicy, very smooth but very complex. Even before this whiskey touches your lips, the nose promises an exotic adventure in flavor. Oriental incense, woody spices and coconut aromas, mix wonderfully with the lighter fruitier notes of this Irish single malt.