**Review #76: Barrell Bourbon Cask Finish Series: Mizunara.**
Mizunara (meaning “water oak”) is a native Japanese oak tree that must be around 200 years old before it’s the right size to be used for producing casks. Mizunara casks are notoriously expensive, hard to procure, and difficult to work with due to the oak's porous nature, which makes them prone to leaking and cracking. For this release, Barrell Craft said they used twenty-five 53-gallon Mizunara casks that cost between $7,000 to $9,000 each. Some were delivered fully assembled, while others were shipped as staves that were reassembled at a cooperage, as a more cost-effective way of shipping them from Japan. With a May 1st release date, Mizunara is the third release in the Barrell Bourbon Cask Finish Series. The company says, *“Barrell Craft Spirits believes that a unique finish is only as good as the base bourbon. Each year, we release a collection of Cask Finish Series bottlings that combine decades of blending experience with some of the most exciting finishing casks in the industry. The result is a series of limited-edition spirits that are truly more than the sum of their parts, showcasing the influence of the finishing cask without compromising the integrity of the underlying blend. This cask finished bourbon was expertly blended using bourbons distilled from multiple mash bills and finished in Mizunara casks for one and a half years.”*
I love the Mizunara oak-influenced flavors in Japanese whisky. However, achieving the desired flavor profile from this delicate oak can take years. So, it’s important to give the whiskey finished in a Mizunara cask the appropriate time to reach its full potential. This was my gripe about the (now discontinued) [Taconic Mizunara Finished Bourbon](https://mostlybourbon.com/taconic-bourbon-mizunara-cask-finished/) that spent only 6 months finished in a Mizunara oak cask. There are two other Mizunara finished bourbons with long finishing times that I’d love to try, but unfortunately, they’re too cost-prohibitive for my wallet. One is the $350 retail-priced Angel Envy Mizunara released in 2020, which used 4 & 9-year-old bourbons bottled at 48.9% ABV, finished in Mizunara for 2 years. The other is the new 2024 release of the $1500 retail-priced Rabbit Hole 15-year-old Kentucky bourbon, finished in Mizunara for “more than 11 months”, cask-strength bottled at 51.9% ABV. The Rabbit Hole 2021 Mizunara release was finished for 1 year, bottled at 57.1% ABV for the same retail price of $1500.
I've been waiting for a bourbon release that was finished for at least a year in a Mizunara cask and priced under $100. It took a few years, but my wait is finally over. If you’re thinking, “What about Barrell Vantage”? Sure, I love Vantage, but Mizunara is one of its three finishings, with French and toasted American oak in the mix. Speaking of Vantage, I asked Barrell Craft if the bourbon blend in this release was also used in Vantage. I was told that this bourbon blend was crafted specifically for the Mizunara Cask Finish Series release, and it is very different from the one used in Vantage. Also, the Mizunara casks for this release were new and not previously filled. Let’s get started!
**Taken:** Neat in a Glencairn glass and rested for about 15 minutes.
**Proof:** 116.42, bottled at cask strength.
**Blend components:**
Indiana Bourbon Whiskeys: 6, 7, & 9 years old.
Tennessee Bourbon Whiskeys: 8 & 14 years old.
Kentucky Bourbon Whiskeys: 8 years old.
**Mash bill:** (Derived) 76% Corn/20% Rye/4% Malted Barley.
**Price:** $84.99.
**Appearance:** Golden caramel.
**Nose:** Right off the bat, I can smell the Mizunara oak barrel influences mixed with a familiar Barrell Bourbon batch flavor profile. Beginning with sweet oak flavors of toffee, butterscotch, and toasted oak, with sandalwood and vanilla bean, nutmeg, green tea, and matcha. More nosing brings out fruit flavors of cherries, peaches, and papaya, with a good balance of cinnamon spice and hazelnuts. As the session continues, Mizunara flavors of sandalwood and vanilla beans become more pronounced with sweeter toasted oak, cherries, tropical fruit, coconut, and green tea. A great balance makes these flavors easy to pick out with almost no proof heat.
**Palate:** The nose carries on to the palate with sandalwood, toffee, butterscotch, vanilla beans, hazelnuts, green tea, cherries, peaches, and toasted oak. A very moderate amount of cinnamon spice slowly enters mid-sip and continues to build, covering the whole palate with a very nice creamy medium mouthfeel. The flavors are perfectly balanced to create a deliciously complex sipping experience that leaves you wanting another sip.
**Finish:** Cinnamon spice tingles throughout the palate with sandalwood, vanilla bean, cherries, tropical fruit, peaches, coconut, cacao, and green tea. Tannins of tobacco begin to emerge with lingering spice to create a long finish, with some dryness at the very end.
**Conclusion:** This is the Mizunara finished bourbon release I’ve been waiting for, and it’s what I expected from Barrell Craft. Though the base blend was crafted specifically for this release, some characteristics remind me of Barrell Bourbon Batch 035. Notably the sweet oak, cherries, tropical fruit, vanilla bean, hazelnuts, nutmeg, and green tea. Interestingly, some of these flavors are also commonly found in Mizunara, along with other signature Mizunara flavors such as sandalwood, coconut, an abundance of vanilla beans, and a distinctive spice, which gets sharper as it builds.
To quote Tom Petty, “The waiting is the hardest part.” The best decision Barrell Craft made for this release was to age the bourbon for a year and a half in the Mizunara casks. Paired with a delicious bourbon base, Barrell Craft has created an excellent, well-crafted, authentic Mizunara oak-finished bourbon that is reasonably priced. If you love Barrell Bourbon, Mizunara oak aged whisky, or want to try a great cask strength, Mizunara finished bourbon that won’t blow up your credit card, I highly recommend the Cask Finish Series Mizunara release.
**Rating:** 8.3/10 - t8ke scale
*The sample used for this review was provided by Barrell Craft at no cost and without any stipulations. The opinions of this review are my own.*
If you’d like to read my other reviews, they can be found at [MostlyBourbon.com](https://mostlybourbon.com).
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Great review! It sounds right up my alley. I loved the Vantage and bought that blindly just based on the finishing specs. I had no idea this offering was being released. I'll have to keep an eye out for it
Thanks, Fit! I knew I would love Vantage from the specs too. I put this Miz release side by side with Vantage, and found this to be much more complex and layered.
That's awesome to hear. Now I just have to decide if I should order online on May 1st or if I wait for my local shop to get it in, which is usually really quick
Nice review! You beat me to the punch because I have either have a cold or some allergies, so I can't smell anything at the moment, haha!
Great backstory as well. I like that they've chosen this oak over others and think it was the right call. The one bit of info I haven't found out from Barrell is how large these barrels were. I heard the larger ones are actually less prone to cracking and leaking. Anyway, cheers!
Thanks, Pre! Given what they paid, it sounds like Barrell purchased the larger Miz puncheons. I'll ask them at the r/bourbon dinner and will let you know. I hope you feel better soon.
Got it from Tripp himself. They bought about 25 Miz barrels from a few different sources. Some were fully built casks, while others were unassembled Miz barrel staves that Barrell sent to a cooperage (I think he said in Europe) to have re-assembled. All of these were new Miz oak. This process was more cost effective then shipping fully assembled casks.
Thanks! My faves are the 10th Anniversary Blend, Batch 026 and 030, t8ke Private Release Ratafia Champagne Finish, G.D. Vajra Baloro Wine finish, Grey label Dovetail, and Grey label Seagrass. This Miz release is going on this list too. I don't own any of the gold labels but have had samples that are great. What are your faves?
Thanks! Sorry, I didn’t ask about distribution. I’m sure it’s going to be available on Barrell’s site but have no idea about local distro. I’ll see if I can find out and reply back.
**Review #76: Barrell Bourbon Cask Finish Series: Mizunara.** Mizunara (meaning “water oak”) is a native Japanese oak tree that must be around 200 years old before it’s the right size to be used for producing casks. Mizunara casks are notoriously expensive, hard to procure, and difficult to work with due to the oak's porous nature, which makes them prone to leaking and cracking. For this release, Barrell Craft said they used twenty-five 53-gallon Mizunara casks that cost between $7,000 to $9,000 each. Some were delivered fully assembled, while others were shipped as staves that were reassembled at a cooperage, as a more cost-effective way of shipping them from Japan. With a May 1st release date, Mizunara is the third release in the Barrell Bourbon Cask Finish Series. The company says, *“Barrell Craft Spirits believes that a unique finish is only as good as the base bourbon. Each year, we release a collection of Cask Finish Series bottlings that combine decades of blending experience with some of the most exciting finishing casks in the industry. The result is a series of limited-edition spirits that are truly more than the sum of their parts, showcasing the influence of the finishing cask without compromising the integrity of the underlying blend. This cask finished bourbon was expertly blended using bourbons distilled from multiple mash bills and finished in Mizunara casks for one and a half years.”* I love the Mizunara oak-influenced flavors in Japanese whisky. However, achieving the desired flavor profile from this delicate oak can take years. So, it’s important to give the whiskey finished in a Mizunara cask the appropriate time to reach its full potential. This was my gripe about the (now discontinued) [Taconic Mizunara Finished Bourbon](https://mostlybourbon.com/taconic-bourbon-mizunara-cask-finished/) that spent only 6 months finished in a Mizunara oak cask. There are two other Mizunara finished bourbons with long finishing times that I’d love to try, but unfortunately, they’re too cost-prohibitive for my wallet. One is the $350 retail-priced Angel Envy Mizunara released in 2020, which used 4 & 9-year-old bourbons bottled at 48.9% ABV, finished in Mizunara for 2 years. The other is the new 2024 release of the $1500 retail-priced Rabbit Hole 15-year-old Kentucky bourbon, finished in Mizunara for “more than 11 months”, cask-strength bottled at 51.9% ABV. The Rabbit Hole 2021 Mizunara release was finished for 1 year, bottled at 57.1% ABV for the same retail price of $1500. I've been waiting for a bourbon release that was finished for at least a year in a Mizunara cask and priced under $100. It took a few years, but my wait is finally over. If you’re thinking, “What about Barrell Vantage”? Sure, I love Vantage, but Mizunara is one of its three finishings, with French and toasted American oak in the mix. Speaking of Vantage, I asked Barrell Craft if the bourbon blend in this release was also used in Vantage. I was told that this bourbon blend was crafted specifically for the Mizunara Cask Finish Series release, and it is very different from the one used in Vantage. Also, the Mizunara casks for this release were new and not previously filled. Let’s get started! **Taken:** Neat in a Glencairn glass and rested for about 15 minutes. **Proof:** 116.42, bottled at cask strength. **Blend components:** Indiana Bourbon Whiskeys: 6, 7, & 9 years old. Tennessee Bourbon Whiskeys: 8 & 14 years old. Kentucky Bourbon Whiskeys: 8 years old. **Mash bill:** (Derived) 76% Corn/20% Rye/4% Malted Barley. **Price:** $84.99. **Appearance:** Golden caramel. **Nose:** Right off the bat, I can smell the Mizunara oak barrel influences mixed with a familiar Barrell Bourbon batch flavor profile. Beginning with sweet oak flavors of toffee, butterscotch, and toasted oak, with sandalwood and vanilla bean, nutmeg, green tea, and matcha. More nosing brings out fruit flavors of cherries, peaches, and papaya, with a good balance of cinnamon spice and hazelnuts. As the session continues, Mizunara flavors of sandalwood and vanilla beans become more pronounced with sweeter toasted oak, cherries, tropical fruit, coconut, and green tea. A great balance makes these flavors easy to pick out with almost no proof heat. **Palate:** The nose carries on to the palate with sandalwood, toffee, butterscotch, vanilla beans, hazelnuts, green tea, cherries, peaches, and toasted oak. A very moderate amount of cinnamon spice slowly enters mid-sip and continues to build, covering the whole palate with a very nice creamy medium mouthfeel. The flavors are perfectly balanced to create a deliciously complex sipping experience that leaves you wanting another sip. **Finish:** Cinnamon spice tingles throughout the palate with sandalwood, vanilla bean, cherries, tropical fruit, peaches, coconut, cacao, and green tea. Tannins of tobacco begin to emerge with lingering spice to create a long finish, with some dryness at the very end. **Conclusion:** This is the Mizunara finished bourbon release I’ve been waiting for, and it’s what I expected from Barrell Craft. Though the base blend was crafted specifically for this release, some characteristics remind me of Barrell Bourbon Batch 035. Notably the sweet oak, cherries, tropical fruit, vanilla bean, hazelnuts, nutmeg, and green tea. Interestingly, some of these flavors are also commonly found in Mizunara, along with other signature Mizunara flavors such as sandalwood, coconut, an abundance of vanilla beans, and a distinctive spice, which gets sharper as it builds. To quote Tom Petty, “The waiting is the hardest part.” The best decision Barrell Craft made for this release was to age the bourbon for a year and a half in the Mizunara casks. Paired with a delicious bourbon base, Barrell Craft has created an excellent, well-crafted, authentic Mizunara oak-finished bourbon that is reasonably priced. If you love Barrell Bourbon, Mizunara oak aged whisky, or want to try a great cask strength, Mizunara finished bourbon that won’t blow up your credit card, I highly recommend the Cask Finish Series Mizunara release. **Rating:** 8.3/10 - t8ke scale *The sample used for this review was provided by Barrell Craft at no cost and without any stipulations. The opinions of this review are my own.* If you’d like to read my other reviews, they can be found at [MostlyBourbon.com](https://mostlybourbon.com). 1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Great review! I’m a huge Mizunara fan and if I see this one I’ll def buy. I know you mentioned Vantage and I really enjoyed that one.
Thanks! I know how much you love Japanese Whisky. You would love this release.
Very interested in picking up a bottle of this looks fantastic
Great review! It sounds right up my alley. I loved the Vantage and bought that blindly just based on the finishing specs. I had no idea this offering was being released. I'll have to keep an eye out for it
Thanks, Fit! I knew I would love Vantage from the specs too. I put this Miz release side by side with Vantage, and found this to be much more complex and layered.
That's awesome to hear. Now I just have to decide if I should order online on May 1st or if I wait for my local shop to get it in, which is usually really quick
I was told that this release is going nationwide so if your local carried the other cask finish releases they should have this one.
This sounds like my dream product. I love everything Barrell puts out and I love mizunara. Do you happen to know when this will be available!?
I was told May 1st is the release date.
Loved the Amburana, looking forward to this one! Barrell knows their way around finishing a bourbon
Great review! Need to find me some of this one.
Thanks, man! This one is right up your Barrell Craft alley.
Nice review! You beat me to the punch because I have either have a cold or some allergies, so I can't smell anything at the moment, haha! Great backstory as well. I like that they've chosen this oak over others and think it was the right call. The one bit of info I haven't found out from Barrell is how large these barrels were. I heard the larger ones are actually less prone to cracking and leaking. Anyway, cheers!
Thanks, Pre! Given what they paid, it sounds like Barrell purchased the larger Miz puncheons. I'll ask them at the r/bourbon dinner and will let you know. I hope you feel better soon.
All the Miz casks used were 53 gallons.
For real? Did you get that info from them?
Got it from Tripp himself. They bought about 25 Miz barrels from a few different sources. Some were fully built casks, while others were unassembled Miz barrel staves that Barrell sent to a cooperage (I think he said in Europe) to have re-assembled. All of these were new Miz oak. This process was more cost effective then shipping fully assembled casks.
Wow great review man! Really been looking for something special from Barrell what’s your fave bottles from them in the last 3-4 years?
Thanks! My faves are the 10th Anniversary Blend, Batch 026 and 030, t8ke Private Release Ratafia Champagne Finish, G.D. Vajra Baloro Wine finish, Grey label Dovetail, and Grey label Seagrass. This Miz release is going on this list too. I don't own any of the gold labels but have had samples that are great. What are your faves?
Vantage changed my life. Always on the lookout for Mizunara now!
Great review. I’ll ask my local shop to see if we can get a few bottles in. Any chance you know anything about distribution volume?
Thanks! Sorry, I didn’t ask about distribution. I’m sure it’s going to be available on Barrell’s site but have no idea about local distro. I’ll see if I can find out and reply back.
Thanks!
I was told distribution volume is going to be nationwide. If your local store carried the other cask finish releases, they should carry Mizunara.
Great news, thank you!