Last in line during this Cù Bòcan week, is the Creation #2. If you talk about experimental maturations and finishes, you’ve got to see this one. A regular virgin European oak (16%) in combination with a Japanese Shochu cask (84%). This might be interesting!

To be completely honest with you, we’ve had to look up what Japanese Shochu exactly was. It turns out to be a Japanese distilled beverage from rice, barley, sweet potatoes, buckwheat or brown sugar, along with other ingredients. We were very curious how it would affect the Cù Bòcan character and if you could taste some of the Shochu ingredients. Let’s see:

It is very interesting to see that the Shochu cask did it’s job. It added a few flavours to the whisky we hardly ever discover in other ones. If you compare it to the other creation, the influence of the cask is a lot bigger in this one in our eyes. Sure, it might have something to do with the percentage of the recipe but still, if you add an extra cask to the maturation or finish, you want that work to pay off. If you haven’t read our other reviews about Cù Bòcan, please check out those reviews as well!

Overall, this is a beautiful and ‘clean’ whisky. A pretty balance between a strong character and the sweetness of the Shochu cask. It might be a bit harsh in the beginning but if you give it time the dram will come to you with fresh and sweet notes.