Uisge Beatha Whisky prices compared

Mizunara oak whisky

13 bottles in stock, with the best current price from the UK retailers we check.

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Questions

What is the cheapest Mizunara oak whisky?
The cheapest Mizunara oak whisky is Dewar’s Japanese Smooth Blended Scotch 8 year old Whisky (8 years old, 40% ABV, 70cl), at £31.50 from Master of Malt. That is £36.45 delivered to the UK mainland for one bottle. Next cheapest: Hatozaki Japanese Blended Whisky (£37.50) and Chivas Regal 12 Year Mizunara Whisky 70cl (£54.95).
How much does Mizunara oak whisky cost?
Mizunara oak whisky costs from £31.50 to £5,200.00, with a median of £82.95 for a full-size bottle. The dearest is Hibiki 21 Year Old Mizunara Suntory 100th Anniversary.
What is the oldest Mizunara oak whisky you can buy?
Loch Lomond 1993 29 Year Old Mizunara Cask, at 29 years old, from £1,499.00.
What is mizunara oak?
Mizunara (Quercus crispula) is an oak found only in East Asia: Japan, especially Hokkaido, the Korean Peninsula, north-east China and Sakhalin. The name joins the Japanese “mizu” (water) and “nara” (oak), after the wood’s high moisture content. Before it was used for whisky it was prized mainly for luxury furniture.
Why are mizunara casks so rare?
Mizunara trees can take up to 200 years to reach felling size and grow twisted and knotty, so few good staves come from each tree. The wet, soft and porous wood is hard for coopers to work and prone to leaking, so staves are cut along the grain and made thicker, at around 38 mm. Whiskipedia reports that Yamazaki, a pioneer of mizunara, keeps only about 1% of its stock in these casks.
What does mizunara oak taste like in whisky?
After long ageing, mizunara gives a sweet and spicy profile with notes of kara (a Japanese incense), sandalwood and coconut, alongside vanilla, honey, orchard fruit and spice. Young, it can be harshly tannic and astringent, and distillers say it typically needs around two decades to mellow.
When did Japanese distillers start using mizunara?
During the Second World War, when Japan could no longer import European or American casks and demand for whisky was rising, coopers turned to native mizunara. The early whiskies were bottled young and tasted harsh, so blenders saw it as a poor substitute for years, until they found that its best character needs long maturation.