For this Founder’s Collection edition, Founder and Hall of Fame Whiskey Maker, Kaveh Zamanian, an avid collector of rare bottles and barrels of whiskey, has selected a handful of 15-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey barrels from his personal trove and finished them in casks made of Japanese Mizunara Oak, the most elusive and coveted barrels on the planet, to create this one-of-a-kind double oaked cask strength bourbon.

Named after Japan’s indigenous wood, Mizunara is a unique type of white oak. Mizu translates to water, while nara means oak. This luxurious wood grows in the northernmost island of Japan. Mizunara Oak is more porous and delicate than European or American Oak which means only the most-skilled master coopers can make barrels fit for aging fine whiskey. It takes between 200 and 500 years for this elusive oak tree to reach maturity. Only then is it ready to become a barrel.