Kamiki Maltage Whisky Review – Finished in Japanese Cedar Barrels

Distillery: Kamiki Distillery

Region: Nara, Japan

Aging: No Age Statement – Finished in Japanese Cedar Barrels

Batch No: 21C15

ABV: 48%

Proof: 96

Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley

Non-Chill Filtered: Yes

Price: $80

Appearance: Honey

Kamiki Maltage Tasting Notes

Nose: Raisin, honey, vanilla, apple, cedar, brown sugar, cinnamon

Palate: Intense heavy cedar, bold wood flavors, it almost overpowers every other flavor in the whiskey. After it dies down a bit, you get light fruits like apple, apricot, and raisin notes like a Scotch.

Finish: Medium finish that is nearly all cedar wood flavors with a tiny bit of fruit and vanilla

Is Kamiki Maltage an Approachable Whiskey?

Kamiki Maltage is unlike any whiskey you’ve tasted before.

It has an extremely strong wood flavor as advertised on the bottle. Since it’s the first whiskey completely finished in Japanese Cedar barrels, it’s a flavor I’ve never tasted in a whiskey before.

This isn’t one a beginner whiskey drinker would likely appreciate, so I’d save this one for a tasting with your more experienced Scotch fans.

Is Kamiki Maltage Complex?

Kamiki Maltage is a bit complex in that it has been finished in cedar barrels and offers a completely unique flavor profile than you’ll likely have ever experienced before.

With that being said, I do detect a few other layers of flavor like the traditional raisin flavors I get from an Oban or Balvenie Scotch. It’s also got some nice fruit and vanilla notes hiding behind all the intense cedar.

What are Kamiki Maltage’s strongest attributes/flavors?

CEDAR. Kamiki Maltage’s strongest attribute is absolutely cedar.

When they advertise “intense cedar wood” on the bottle, they are not joking.

Is Kamiki Maltage a go-to whisky?

Kamiki Maltage is definitely not a go-to whisky.

This is a bottle that took a chance on finishing a whiskey in Japanese cedar barrels and is overwhelmed with cedar wood flavors.

While it’s quite interesting, I don’t see this being a go-to whiskey by any means.

This is a bottle you share with friends who are looking for a unique tasting experience.

Is Kamiki Maltage priced accurately to its quality?

While I understand that this is a unique bottle because it’s the first to offer a whiskey completely finished in Japanese cedar barrels, I don’t think that experiment warrants the $80 price tag.

I do get some interesting notes in the bottle and it’s a unique experience, there are plenty of bottles at the $80 price point that I would easily recommend over this one.

Conclusion for Kamiki Maltage

If you are looking for a completely unique whiskey experience, this bottle could be a fun bottle for you to purchase.

I can’t see many people finding this to be their favorite whiskey out there, but I do find it to be an interesting bottle that has given me a flavor that I’ve never before seen in a whiskey.

If they had toned back the amount of cedar, I could see this bottle presenting a little better.

Maybe they will continue to experiment with the Japanese cedar barrel finish and find the perfect balance in flavors.

But until then, I’ll be setting this one on the shelf until I’m in the mood for some heavy wood flavors.

Let Us Know What You Think

I hope you enjoyed reading about this tasting experience with me.

If you decide to buy yourself a pour of this, please let me know what you think of it on social media via Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Thanks for reading and cheers!