I have a story out in Decanter today about Mizunara, the Japanese oak that sends spirits prices soaring the moment the liquid hits the wood.
This one’s been a long time coming. It began back in October last year when tasted Courvoisier’s 2021 and 2023 Mizunara releases in the Connaught’s Red Room bar. (I also had some Courvoisier XO and XO Royal, both delicious.)
That piqued my interest and, the following month, I went out to Pernod Ricard’s offices in west London to interview Sandy Hislop, Master Blender at Chivas Brothers. He makes a Mizunara-aged blended whisky that sits at the more affordable end of the price scale.
Did you know Sandy’s a big fan of the Nissan Cube? We had a good time chatting about that and retro chocolate bars of the 1980s and 1990s – plus whisky, naturally, and what it is about this wood that makes it so sought after.
TL;DR: it’s expensive, hard to get hold of, hard to work with, porous and prone to leaks. On the plus side, Mizunara can impart delicious flavours of nuts, sandalwood and incense. Read the story to find out more.
I was in Japan last month and actually got to see a couple of Mizunara casks first-hand. They were indeed leaky buggers, as per their reputation. If it please the court, I shall present herewith Exhibit A: a couple of close-ups that illustrate just how porous this wood really is.
But wait there’s more
I also wrote a story on Japanese gins for Club Oenologique that was published yesterday. This one looks at what makes these gins distinctive. Yes the botanicals, but there’s more to it than that, and I also give tasting notes for five Japanese gins to try now.
As you might imagine, there’s lots more to share from my Japan trip, but I’ll keep my powder dry for now as I’m hoping to place a few more stories first. I can share a few pictures from the places mentioned in this Club O story though: the tea garden in Uji, and the Bees Knees bar back in Kyoto.
I’ve cheated slightly here as the cocktail pictured in the coupe glass is not in fact the Ki No Tea martini mentioned in the article. That wasn’t even my drink, although I did get to taste it. My drink, the one pictured, was a Dashi Martini garnished with wasabi oil and was in fact even better than the Ki No Tea-ni (better name?) but it didn’t feature the correct gin, so I had to employ a little artistic licence in the article.
The drink with all the dry ice was a Ninja Smash, made with Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry. It was nice, but it wasn’t amazing. Looks great for the ‘gram though, right?
Oh, and that unassuming bush in the first picture? The oldest tea plant in Japan. Over 300 years old and the mother plant for much of the Okunoyama tea garden. Tea is propagated via cuttings as the plants won’t grow true from seeds.
Perry A Drinker’s Guide
I’d like to tell you quickly about a forthcoming book from Adam Wells (who, incidentally, was recently shortlisted for this year’s Fortnum & Mason Awards).
This is a book that should have been written before now. Perry is one of the drink world’s most overlooked treasures, one that for all its deliciousness seems always to be on the cusp of disappearing forever.
Wells writes vividly on the subject with deep knowledge and affection. It’s no easy task to make a passage on pear varieties and their flavours engaging, but he not only manages this but makes it look easy.
There’s lots more besides, on the drink’s history and producers, where to find perry and how best to enjoy it. The book covers everything you need for a thorough grounding in the subject. It will leave readers with more than enough knowledge to explore this wonderful drink with confidence.
I am convinced more people would love perry if only they knew about it. This book will go a long way towards making that happen.
It comes out on 1st May but you can pre-order a copy here.
Housekeeping, with a gin in hand
You may remember in my last email I mentioned a scheme to migrate from Substack to Wordpress. That proved trickier and more expensive than I had anticipated. So I’m sticking with Substack for now, and also turning on paid subscriptions. The first content for paid supporters will go live very soon when I take a deep dive into my favourite drink of the last few months, the Gin & It.
All subscribers get to take a took at what makes this drink tick, but paid supporters get the low down on exactly which gins and vermouths make the best pairings according to my months of painstaking research. (By which I mean drinking with a notebook by my elbow.) I’ll also give some guidance on other drinks to explore for paid supporters who find the Gin & It to their taste.