Illustrated with one of Hokusai's 36 views of Mount Fuji, The Matsui Mizunara Cask Single Malt is crafted with heart and passion by the Matsui Whisky team and reduced with high quality natural spring water from Mount Daisen. A symbol of freshness and mastery of the art of working with Japanese oak, "mizunara", which brings great complexity to spirits, this whisky has been aged in oak casks. Its beautiful amber color is very bright and immediately seductive. It has a fresh nose of vanilla and spices of great fullness and sweetness, followed by a rich and complex palate, with a spicy tone which is slightly woody with a hint of caramel. It also offers an admirable length. Rated 17/20 by our Selection Committee.

Elaboration:

Non-peated. Double distilled in Pot Still, aged in sakura casks, the famous and iconic Japanese cherry tree, reduced with natural spring water from Mount Daisen.
Label illustration: Kikukawa Eizan "Beauty in the Cherry blossom Garden".

Color:

Bright light yellow amber.

Nose:

Fresh and complex, aromas of fresh pear accompanied by a touch of currant, notes of white flowers, fresh grass, fine and light wood, accents of root and iodine.

Palate:

Soft and refined, crescendo evolution on woody flavors evoking pine, resin, floral notes and a subtle reminder of cereal in the finish.

Temperature:

Serve between 16 and 18°C in a Glencairn whisky glass.

Food and wine pairing:

As an aperitif, as a digestive, alone or for water lovers, in addition to their whisky tasting, we suggest a still, neutral and fresh spring water.
The Japanese sometimes accompany their fish meal with whisky served as mizuwari: the whisky is served reduced by two thirds of water and a few ice cubes to give it an alcoholic strength equivalent to that of a wine.

Kurayoshi is the pearl of Japan. Located in the prefecture of Tottori, in the south of the island of Honshu, this micro-distillery has been cultivating the delicate art of blending and refining for a century. Sake, shochu and brandy have always been made in the purest Japanese tradition, thanks in particular to the proximity of Mount Daisen and its pure waters.

For a few years, Shuzo Matsui has also been making a short range of whiskies known as Matsui. Classic blends such as Kurayoshi Pure Malt, but also a range that pays tribute to Japanese culture and its artists, through bottles illustrated by the greatest masters of Japanese painting, such as Hokusai or Kikukawa Eizan.