Cosmo Manzanilla Cask Finish was released in 2019 under the same name, and the product description and alcohol content on the official website are exactly the same.

Manzanilla is a dry white wine made from Palomino grapes, and Manzanilla is the lightest and driest of all sherry wines. It can be called a dry crisp sherry. Finishing in fino-type Manzanilla casks gives the whiskey a light aroma reminiscent of white wine, a light sweetness, and a bitter oaky flavor.

Generally speaking, sherry casks used for aging whiskey are Oloroso sherry and Pedro Ximenez sherry, and “Manzanilla” is a dry, dry sherry, as opposed to the relatively dense sherry casks that are empty. I am very much looking forward to seeing what kind of flavors the whisky will give us as it ages, and it will be fun to compare it with the Manzanilla Cask released in 2019.

The Bottle

“Mars Maltage Cosmo”, which expresses complexity and depth by vatting multiple malts, is additionally matured (finished) in the same empty barrels used for Manzanilla, a light and dry sherry. It is a limited production malt whiskey that has the soft and mellow mouthfeel of COSMO, with aromas of dried fruits, brown sugar, and maple syrup from the cask, and pleasant flavors of coconut and chocolate, with a hint of bitterness, in well-balanced harmony.

Manzanilla is a dry white wine made from Palomino grapes and is the lightest and driest of all sherry wines. Manzanilla is the lightest and driest of all sherries. It is a dry, crisp sherry.

Finishing in fino-type Manzanilla casks gives the whiskey a light aroma reminiscent of white wine, a light sweetness, and a bitter oaky flavor.

Our Take

The aroma is refreshing and slightly spicy. The impression is dry, dry, light and not very sweet, which is characteristic of Manzanilla, but when it comes to the taste, the mouthfeel is mild, buttery, bitter chocolate, sweet and elegant. However, when it comes to the taste, the mouthfeel is mild, sweet and elegant like butter or bitter chocolate. It is a whisky with a calm sweetness that comes out gently from the middle to the latter half, and it is very easy to drink. It’s not a wine cask or sherry cask (Pedro Ximenez Oloroso), where the sweetness is at full throttle, but rather a supporting role, complementing the dryness and white peppery spiciness of the Manzanilla whiskey, which is the star of the show.

It’s a good whiskey, and it’s well balanced.

(All Images Courtesy of JPWhisky.net)

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