Four Gate Whiskey announced its very limited Majestic Wood series, featuring Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in exotic oak casks from Japan and Brazil.
The Majestic Wood series will launch with two initial offerings. Both start with a base whiskey of 7-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The first of the two is then finished in Japanese Mizunara Oak casks, while the second is finished in Brazilian Amburana Oak casks.
Japanese Mizunara Oak is a native tree of Japan. Unlike American White Oak, Mizunara Oak grows in smaller, twisted trunks that produce fewer straight staves. This makes the wood rare and expensive for coopering. In addition, its extremely high moisture content means the staves that are produced require considerably longer drying time before they can be used in a barrel. Thus, Mizunara casks are highly coveted in the industry, and both rare and expensive. But the results are undeniable. The oak lends a sweet sandalwood note to the underlying whiskey creating something unique and flavorful.
The second release, featuring barrels made from Brazilian Amburana Oak are equally unique. Amburana is a tree native to Brazil. It has been popular in that region for making a rum-like spirit called cachaça. The wood itself adds notes of vanilla, baking spices like cloves and cinnamon along with sweet ginger notes to whiskey aged in barrel crafted from the tree.
These releases were bottled in very limited quantities, with only 1,673 bottles of Japanese Mizunara Oak produced at 117.4 proof. 2,070 bottles of the Brazilian Amburana Oak were produced at 115.1 proof. Bottles retail for $249.
“This won’t be the last of the Majestic Wood Series,” Four Gate Chief Barrel Officer Bob D’Antoni said in a news release. “There will be more to come.”
Both releases will be available to distributors in all states in which Four Gate Whiskey Company is distributed, including KY, TN, IN, LA, TX, GA, FL, CA, CO, AZ, and IL.
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