Kamiki Maltage Whisky
Blended Malt Whisky Finished in Cedar Casks
48% ABV
$79
Website
We would like to thank Kamiki Whisky for sending us a sample to review.
What the Producer Says
KAMIKI WHISKY | Perfectly balanced with heather honey, sweet caramel, Japanese plum, balanced oak, peat and toffee with hints of sandalwood and green tea. Non chill-filtered at 48% alcohol to keep its natural flavors at maximum. Blended at its peak flavor, rather than a predetermined ratio. As a result, each batch is unique and limited with stocks.
OUR WHISKY | We wanted to celebrate the timeless alcohol tradition of the region by blending a Japanese style whisky that harmonizes Japanese nature and artisanship.
OUR BLEND | We choose rare Japanese malt whiskies, finest malt whiskies from the rest of the world and fuse this unique blend with the highest quality pure spring water from Japan.
OUR UNIQUE SECOND MATURATION | Yoshino Sugi, most commonly known in English as the “Japanese Cedar” is indigenous to Japan. For centuries it is being used to make temples. Japanese Cedar is also known for its pleasant fragrance and soft texture that help calm the mind and the body.
OUR CITY | Our story takes place in a truly ancient land, one of spiritual and carnal harmony, in the temples of Nara in Japan.
The ancient capital of Japan, Nara holds many temples from the 8th century that imperturbably give the holy capital its power.
OUR SHRINE | Ōmiwa Shrine in Nara is one of Japan’s oldest extant Shinto shrines. It is a tutelary shrine of the Japanese alcohol producers. Most well-known alcohol producer families are in Nara and these families have a centuries-old tradition of producing alcohol for Ōmiwa.
The alcohol produced by these families is served as blessings at Shinto temples.
OUR NAME | The Ōmiwa Shrine lies at the foot of Mount Miwa, a holy mountain guarded by the shrine. Mount Miwa has many legends, and has been worshiped from ancient times as a sacred Mountain of the God.
Inspired by beautiful breezes coming from the Mountain of the God, we named our whisky KAMIKI whereby “KAMI” means “GOD” and “IKI” means “BREATH”.
KAMIKI IS THE “THE FIRST WHISKY BRAND IN THE WORLD WITH JAPANESE CEDAR CASK FINISH” | Yoshino Sugi is considered to be the best wood for making local drink casks because of its scented refreshing flavor and wooden aroma. Our blend is rested for a second time in Yoshino Sugi casks to capture a perfectly smooth taste, a scent of sandalwood on the nose and a zest of green tea in the finish. This second maturation makes our whisky unique.
What Gary Says
Nose: Green tea, cedar, buttered yeast rolls, honey, sandalwood and heather.
Palate: Sweet and thick, plum, green tea, nutty toffee, a hint of banana nut bread.
Finish: Moderately long, slightly drying with pepper and green tea.
Comments: The palate on this reminds me a bit of plum wine (not that they’d be confused for one another, but definitely a similar sweetness). Another first for me – cedar casks, which definitely lent some lovely aromatics and complexity. This sample was from Batch No 002 (2019.05), and the label indicates it contains caramel color and is non-chill filtered. I’m not a fan of artificial coloring in whisk(e)y, but appreciate that it is called out on the label. Of the 5 Japanese whiskies I reviewed this season, this was by far my favorite – and I’d consider it a Must Try for enthusiasts looking for unique and different experiences. Again, appreciate the higher ABV and non-chill filtration. One package offering includes a masu cup and eye mask, which they recommend you to pour Kamiki in the cup (which to someone not familiar looks like a small wooden box), cover your eyes with the mask, breath deeply and imagine yourself in a cedar forest in Japan before you taste the whisky slowly and mindfully. I tried this, and the masu cup had a significant impact on the nosing experience – and really did bring out the cedar and other forest aromas. Sipping from the square cup wasn’t as nice (you need to point a corner towards your mouth, or learn as I did that your mouth may not be as wide as the opening!) More importantly, I didn’t get a lot of difference on the palate, but the nosing experience was night and day.