Blended and bottled in Japan in June 2021, 260 bottles, non chill filtered and natural in colour.
The Kyoyu is dekanta’s inaugural World Blended Whisky, built around the concept of sharing. Japan and Scotland have a long standing friendship that has lasted through the ages.
Taking it’s name from the Japanese word to “share”, the Kyoyu is an ode to that partnership – featuring 26 year old whisky from three of Scotland’s best distilleries, expertly blended with young whisky from three of Japans rising stars.
Dekanta – Japanese fine and rare whisky retailer.
This whisky was tasted as part of the Dekanta whisky tweet tasting with Steve/@TheWhiskyWire on the 30th of June 2021.
Appearance
Mid gold towards darker gold, it has a nice syrupy swirl line that beads up and turns into slow thick legs.
Nose
Perfume, Parma violets and love heart sweets lay behind pine wood initially, they peep from behind the wood. Juniper/conifer linger in the air, and there’s some dunnage accompanying them. There is a mustiness, with old style shoe polish, wood varnish, and old leather too.
With more time in the glass i’m getting toasted tea cakes with raisins, and a faint foam banana sweets aroma.
Definitely getting toasted tea cakes/fresh fruit scones!
— ManyMilesOfWhisky (@ManyMilesWhisky) June 30, 2021
Palate
Digestive and Rich tea biscuits kick it off for me, cereals and grains also, i’m thinking flapjack again. Foam banana sweets bring a touch of confectionery sweetness, then it starts to become more spicy.
Ginger, BBQ seared pineapple rings, guava, white pepper, a touch of bitter lemon and tonic water are the bulk of flavours on the palate, and they work together so well.
The last of the palate flavours find the spicier notes partially hide marshmallows cooked by a fire and toffee apples too, they are there but need time and attention to access them.
Finish
Quite long and gently warming, with candy floss, red fruit slush drinks, fruit cocktail from a can, wood shavings, and I’d say a touch of salinity right at the very end.
My thoughts
Of the three whiskies we tried during this tasting i put this one down as my favourite, reason being that the flavour combinations were my favourite, right through from the beginning to the end. I will add that the other two whiskies were not far behind, this one just pipped them for me.
I found it developed very nicely, and the flavour range is impressive, and on the tasting i wasn’t the only one to pick this as the favourite.
Would i buy a bottle?
Yes i would, if i had the money to purchase one. It may be a blend of Scottish and Japanese whiskies, but it has been done very well, and the whiskies obviously compliment each other very well, attention to detail has been given, and in my opinion it really does show.
Thanks to – @dekantawhisky, @MantMilesWhisky and @TheWhiskyWire for allowing me to be part of the tasting, and for the use of his Dekanta whisky image.
Follow @dekantawhisky Follow @ManyMilesWhisky Follow @thewhiskeychapsAnd now for something completely different
It seems many whisky folk also love music, @newdramdrinker and myself have hosted metal/rock music evenings. I thought i would start embedding the odd track that i have been listening to during a whisky tasting or writing my whisky reviews. This is a rather poignant metal banger, go on, turn it up 🤘.
