Kyoto Mizunara Whisky Tasting Japan's Rare Oak at Nishiki Market

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45 minutes (approximately)
Offered in: Japanese and 1 more

A whole tasting built around one rare wood. Few bars let you compare a Mizunara finish side by side with a whisky that spent ten years inside Japanese oak, then add water to a cask-strength pour and watch the incense-like aroma open up in your glass. Your bartender explains why this oak is so hard to work with and so prized, at a red marble bar counter under a floating pine in a hidden luxury lounge above Nishiki Market.

What's Included

Guided tasting by an English-speaking bartender, with water for chaser and adding to whisky
3 Mizunara whisky tastings (20 ml each)
Service charge (included in the price)
Light snacks such as nuts
Additional drinks and food ordered at the venue (a 10% service charge applies to additional orders)

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

The entrance is on Takakura-dori street, NOT inside Nishiki Market (there is no entrance from the market side). On Takakura-dori, find the building with Sugi Pharmacy on the ground floor and take the elevator to the 3rd floor (ZEN Kyoto). Tell our staff you booked the Mizunara whisky tasting.

End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What to expect

Mizunara is a Japanese oak that grows slowly and is famously difficult to turn into casks. Whisky makers from Japan and Scotland treasure it for the sandalwood and incense-like aromas it can give a whisky over many years.

At ZEN, a luxury dining and bar lounge on the 3rd floor above Kyoto's Nishiki Market, your English-speaking bartender pours three whiskies at the bar counter that show how Mizunara shapes flavor:
1. A Scotch blend finished in Mizunara: a light first taste of the oak's aroma.
2. An 18-year-old Scotch blend finished in Mizunara: longer aging meets Japanese oak.
3. A Japanese single malt matured in Mizunara, at cask strength: the star of the flight, bottled without added water. Add a few drops of water yourself and watch the aroma open up.

Compare a whisky that only touched Mizunara at the end with one that spent its life in it, and find out why this oak is called the jewel of Japanese whisky.

Additional info

  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Participants must be 20 or older (the legal drinking age in Japan). Valid ID showing age may be requested.
  • The third whisky is cask strength (around 60% ABV). Please do not drive after this experience.
Supplied by WonderlandJapan

Tags

Dining Experiences
Historical Tours
Restaurants
Small Group
Food & Drink
Short term availability

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

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