Matsui Shuzo The Kurayoshi 8 Years Old

This travel-retail expression of The Kurayoshi 8 Years Old is a blended malt from Matsui Shuzo in Tottori prefecture, bottled at 43% and matured in Ex-Bourbon casks. Travel-retail releases from this range are aimed at a broad international audience and present a lighter, more accessible profile than the sherry-cask expressions. Provenance of the malt component in the Kurayoshi range has historically included sourced stock alongside the house's own production.

The flavour profile here leans toward the nutty and yeasty end of the Ex-Bourbon register, with vanilla and light honey on the nose and a malt-extract mid-palate. The medicinal note mentioned in the profile data is mild, adding a faint herbal edge rather than dominating. The finish is clean and moderately brief. This is the Kurayoshi range in its most polished, broadly appealing form, from Tottori.