Kamiki Sakura Wood

Kami means god and Iki means breath. 'Breath of the Gods', in other words. Or something like that. The unfortunate thing about this whisky is that it is not really Japanese. But they are honest about it on the website. It is a 'Japanese style blend', composed with imported whisky, which they then have married on Sakura wood (the Japanese cherry, actually) and cedar wood (from which the Japanese temples are made). That's interesting enough for me to give it a try. On the nose, it's sweet on banana liqueur, cinnamon, pine cones and a soft touch of chestnuts. Very friendly and even a bit playful. And yes, you can also smell the wood, but in this case it is definitely a plus. On the palate, however, the wood is much more pronounced, even dominant, which in turn benefits it a lot less in my opinion. Spicy and softly bitter as if from chestnuts and walnuts, while cherry seeds appear in the background. Unfortunately, it loses a lot of sweetness and playfulness as a result. The finish is rather short, nutty and spicy. And my mouth is as dry as a sauna at the end of the ride. It all started very nicely, but then the wood threw a spanner in the works. Available in our regions for about 65 EUR. Thx, Marcel!