Hello, again dear friends. Welcome back to the good ol’ review, Whiskey Wednesdays with your pal, Paydn. I’m really liking the spacing I have on the recent releases, maybe once every other week is a good pace in terms of purchasing, stock availability, and my own sanity. I’ve got a fun little one here today, and an even more exciting announcement about the picture itself, but we’ll get to that in the Thoughts.
Kamiki Maltage Japanese Whisky
Kamiki Distillery, Japan
$72.95
48% / 98 Proof
Nose - Citrus and spring cherry blossoms jump out at my first, with a burst of hibiscus and watermelon jolly rancher. It’s a beautifully succulent aroma that is truly seductive, akin to a freshly blooming flower, recently tickled by the cool spring rain.
Palate - Floral and sweet with a burst of ginger and wasabi-style heat. The palate here is much more upfront than its delicate nose—something I’ve observed so far to be almost exclusively present in Japanese whiskey—and as such gives a more exhilarating rush of endorphins when it goes down the gullet.
Finish - The palate tapers off as quickly as it appeared and you’re left with a calm and azure finish that comes up with ground pepper, forest moss, pine tea, and fresh vanilla.
Thoughts - This was quite the surprise to find laying on the shelves at my local Liquor store, hanging out all on its lonesome towards the top of the Scotch section. Typically I would think this bottle would be designated to the glass, but the store I frequent in particular seems to do a great job at constantly revolving new and unique products. I’m a big fan of Japanese whiskey overall, and even though this particular vesche has “caramel color added”, I’d say the flavor makes up for it. Interestingly, the whiskey itself is actually a blend of other barrels from Kamiki that are mixed then aged in Japanese Cedar casks for an undisclosed amount of time, although I would assume no longer than 5 months. It imparts a particularly aromatic sensation to the whiskey, and why I think the nose here is so vibrant and expansive.
So, what about the image is so cool? Well, for starters, I recently lost my long-beloved COVID-19 friendly Queens of the Stone Age bandana—facemask—that I had picked up when I saw them live some 8 years ago or so. It was a heavy hit, but it was time for a new bandana anyway, so I picked up this hand-printed Japanese-inspired bandana that’s loomed in Japan and dyed/printed in Oregon. It showed up the same day I was getting ready to shoot this bottle and I couldn’t have asked for a better backdrop… It’s gorgeous!
But that’s not the only thing that’s special about this image. I also was able to finally afford a MAJOR upgrade to my photography kit, one I have needed desperately since leaving my last job (and thus, the camera it provided) and having to shoot all my photos from the past 5 months on a lowly Nikon D5100 —A camera I do have years of experience with, no doubt— but no more, as I just recently became the proud owner of a Fujifilm X-T4! Yes, it’s a HUGE step forward for me and I hope it accelerates my professional photography career in a positive direction. At least I will now finally have a good sensor to work with, making all my whiskey photos from here on out that much more enduring for you all.
6.5/10 - A fantastic pick if you can afford it, great for special occasions and fun aromatic experiences. 1 point docked for “caramel color added”.