Kaiyo the Sheri

Apr 7

Look - I loved the Kaiyo Cask Strength. Just check out my review to see that. Oddly, when I bought that bottle, I had to be talked into it by the store owner’s son (obviously he succeeded). The bottle I was actually looking for that day was this: Kaiyo the Sheri.

I love sherry cask finishes - Oloroso, Pedro Ximenez, and even lesser-known ones like Amontillado or Palo Cortado and lesser-used ones like Cream Sherry. Sherry-cask finishing is rampant in Scotch and growing in use in Ireland and the US. With Japanese whisky so heavily influenced by Scotch, it’s somewhat surprising how long it took for sherry finishing to appear.

Of course, sherry finishing wasn’t always popular in Scotch - you can thank Macallan for making that the norm - and so maybe it isn’t surprising that Japanese whisky took a while to catch the bug. Plus, there’s the delicateness of Japanese whisky (at least in my opinion).

There’s plenty of sherry-finished whiskies popping up in Japan and around the world today, and they generally fall into two categories: well-balanced, where the sherry is part of the whole and complements the base whisky, and the other, more common category where the sherry - regardless of how delicious or not it is - completely overtakes the base whisky. I’ve done a few reviews now where I can objectively say that the pour is delicious in its sherry-ness, but that I can’t rate it higher because it only tastes like sherry and I’m tasting a whisky.

Enter Kaiyo the Sheri: it’s delicious, let’s start with that. But, unfortunately, it does fall into the second category. Then again, if you’re aging and finishing in three casks - Oloroso, Pedro Ximenez (PX), and mizunara - chances are the characteristics of the underlying whisky were never going to come out that strongly. So, what to make of this? It’s unbelievably sippable - liquified PB+J, dark chocolate-covered cherries - but it’s a study in finishing and cask aging, not one in Japanese whisky. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Side note: as of 2021, Kaiyo the Sheri does not qualify as Japanese Whisky as defined recently by the Japan Spirits & Liqueur Maker’s Association, as partial aging takes place outside of Japan.

Kaiyo the Sheri: Specs

Classification: Japanese Whisky

Origin: Unknown

Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley, finished in Oloroso, PX, and mizunara casks

Proof: 92 (46% ABV)

Age: NAS

Location: Tokushima Prefecture, Japan (Eastern Shikoku)

Kaiyo Cask Strength Price: $140

Official Website

Kaiyo the Sheri: Tasting Notes

Eye: Maple syrup. Thick rim, quick syrupy legs.

Nose: Strong sherry, little smoke, and spice from the barrels. Oloroso fruits build into dark chocolate before mellowing into PX milk chocolate.

Palate: Dark chocolate-covered cherries hit right away. Very little burn - the fruits grow quickly into stewed red fruits stuffed with cinnamon sticks. Light oak dryness. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, coating leaves a delicious chocolate film on my palate.

Finish: Long, spicy, with peanut butter and jelly building.

Overall: The sherry clearly drives the pour, but the fruits and complexity continue to build throughout. A beautiful dram.

Final Rating: 7.9

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)

7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)

4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)

3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)