Starlight Mizunara Reserve Bourbon Review — Batch No. 0003

Starlight Distillery
Mizunara Reserve
Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Japanese Mizunara
Barrels
Batch No. 0003
Cask Strength
Aged 8 Years
110 Proof
SRP: $149.99
Review

Please enjoy my Starlight Mizunara Reserve Review!

Starlight Distillery and Mizunara Reserve

Starlight Distillery produces its whiskey using grains from its more than 700-acre farm. Its bourbon is made using a sweet mash process and double pot distilled on a Vendome copper pot still.

Starlight Mizunara Reserve is a limited, cask-strength release made from an eight-barrel blend of the distillery’s eight-year, three- and four-grain bourbon mash bills. After aging in fire-charred new American white oak barrels, the bourbon was finished in Japanese Mizunara oak barrels.

Native to Japan, Mizunara is among the rarest and most challenging woods used for whiskey maturation. Its porous nature and irregular growth make barrel construction difficult, but the wood is prized for the distinctive flavors and aromas it can impart.

Details – Starlight Mizunara Reserve Review

• Distillery: Starlight Distillery
• Whiskey: Mizunara Reserve
• Type: Bourbon whiskey finished in Japanese Mizunara barrels
• Batch: No. 0003
• Release: Small batch, cask strength and limited release
• Age: 8 years
• Blend: Eight barrels of Starlight’s three- and four-grain bourbon mash bills
• Mash bills: 60% corn, 20% rye and 20% malted barley; and 51% corn, 9% wheat, 20% rye and 20% malted barley
• Production: Farm-to-bottle using grains from Starlight’s more than 700-acre farm
• Distillation: Sweet mash process and double pot distilled on a Vendome copper pot still
• First barrel: Fire-charred new American white oak
• Second barrel: Japanese Mizunara oak from 200- to 500-year-old trees grown on the northernmost island of Japan
• Barrel entry proof: 108–116
• Bottling proof: 110 proof (55% ABV)
• Bottle size: 750 mL
• SRP: $149.99

Tasting Notes — Starlight Mizunara Reserve Review

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested: 15 minutes in a Glencairn glass

👉🏻 Nose: Dry spicy oak, tart orange peels, sweet caramel and toffee, hints of anise, dried apricots; dark plums later on; alcohol vapor is appropriate for the proof.
👉🏻 Taste: Sweet caramel and simple syrup, tart orange peels, hints of anise; touch of spicy oak.
👉🏻 Finish: Fairly long; moderate white pepper spice; increasingly dry; mild tannins, tart orange peel, hint of anise, lingering sweetness; mild dry wood and char in the end.

Spicy Oak, Caramel and Fruit on the Nose and Palate

On my first sniff, I noted fleeting notes of sweet toffee and vanilla. However, those quickly dissipated, and the nose was dominated by dry spicy oak, tart orange peels, and hints of anise. With time, dried apricots and sweet caramel emerged, followed by sweet dark stone fruits, like plums, in the background. Eventually, the sweet toffee returned, and the nose ultimately became a balanced yet varying medley of all these flavors, although the dry spicy oak remained dominant.

Similar flavors continued onto the palate, particularly sweet caramel joined by simple syrup, tart orange peel, and dry spicy oak. The finish became increasingly spicy and dry, with white pepper, mild tannins, tart orange peel, and mild dry wood and char in the end.

A Well-Balanced Mizunara-Finished Bourbon

The effects of the Mizunara barrels were quite noticeable from start to finish. To me, the dominant flavor from Mizunara oak is spicy oak. It has also been described as having sandalwood and incense-like qualities. In tasting classes, I have been able to pick up those notes when given an incense stick for comparison, but I really don’t get them on my own. Nonetheless, the spicy oak I got from the Mizunara was not overpowering and blended very well with the sweeter confectionery and fruit notes. To me, the balance of flavors was perfect.

Starlight Mizunara Reserve is a delicious bourbon. If you are a fan of a well-balanced bourbon with noticeable, but not overbearing, spicy dry oak, this is one you will want to try. Have you tried the Starlight Mizunara Reserve? What did you think? Cheers!🥃

I hope you have enjoyed my Starlight Mizunara Reserve Review! Next, read these related articles: Starlight Distillery Celebrates 25th Anniversary With New Releases of 20-Year Reserve Brandy and 10-Year Reserve Bourbon, Bardstown Bourbon Company Hokkaido Mizunara Oak Review and Angel’s Envy Bourbon Finished in Mizunara Oak Casks Review

Note: This sample was graciously provided by the Brand for my review. I appreciate it!

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