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Mizunara Oak is a highly regulated wood product, with trees mandated to reach 200 years of maturity prior to harvesting. We maintain a close partnership with our cooperage contact in Japan to source this exceptional material, which is then shipped to our facility in Western North Carolina. There, we carefully chip, sort, and toast the Mizunara Oak before packaging it for sale as Chips and other alternative barrel-aging products. This meticulous process ensures the preservation of Mizunara's distinctive characteristics and quality for our customers.
Mizunara Oak is a very rare commodity in the Whiskey and Wine world. With the supply of true Mizunara being very limited and highly sought after. Certain suppliers have resorted to providing alternative oak from China, commonly referred to as “Mongolian Oak (Quercus mongolica)”. While it is considered under a similar subspecies, Mizunara (Quercus crispula) has traits and flavor profiles much more suited for aging whiskey and wine. The Mongolian variety is much more prevalent and suffers from much less sustainable harvesting practices than its Japanese cousin. Hence why vendors try to sell Mongolian Oak as a competitor to Mizunara.