I’ve touched on Japanese whiskey before this write up here: https://www.aerin.or … y:entry201226-170937… And most of the facts stay true. Few interesting factoids did come out of this Suntory tasting.
- Japanese distill their grain alcohol from corn instead of wheat due to price reasons. Very very old grain may still be wheat but it’s been corn since 1970s or so
- Japanese distilleries do NOT trade with each other. Frankly they hate each other. It’s complicated and also very Japanese.
- To make any kind of purely Japanese blend, any distillery needs to distill every kind and type of cask and flavor themselves.
- Any Japanese blended whiskey components are produced by the same company, see above.
- Not all Japanese whiskey is Japanese due to lax regulations. This will be changing soon due to 2021 agreements.
- Hibiki 12 is gone forever due to Ume casks used. Hibiki Blender’s Choice is a good substitute being sherry and bourbon casks.
Chita Heavy Grain, 43%
Very corny, since distilled from corn. Somewhat available as a travel shop exclusive. Though Chita 12 is much MUCH better but not available in US.
Nose: Alcohol forward as expected of young-ish grain.
Palate: Initial tiny lick brought ice-cream like palate experience. Light but sweet vanilla. Creme brulee custard. Creme soda! Thin mouthfeel, it wants to be gone rather than to stick around.
Aftertaste: More vanilla up and down. Surprisingly long-lasting aftertaste. Almost like thin vanilla extract. No negatives here but also almost too sweet and not even remotely complicated. Just a vanilla creamer in a whiskey form.
Score: D
Hakushu White Oak Cask, 43%
This is not a regular release but something closer to a limited run few years back. The regular is much more peated!!!
Nose: Here comes the malt! Spicy malty oaky (vanilla), somewhat woody, goodness! So much orchard fruits, nearly overwhelming. Green apples for days. Pears, green peach, melons.
Palate: Almost a letdown after the glorious nose. Very slightly peated in the back with the residual still or cask smoke, this is a quite tasty ex-bourbon malt. Most of the notes from the nose apply as well as solid woody spicy core, again in the style of refill-refill casks. Old malt cask series comes to mind here.
Aftertaste: Somewhat reasonable old malt cask malt. The white pepper in the very back is welcome and overall this is very pleasant, though somewhat young and super mellow. The outstanding quality here is the nose. Saying frankly, it’s ‘boring’ in a same way that a clean canvas is even if this is a high quality blank. I would be okay drinking it, yet it offers nearly nothing of interest.
Score: C+
Yamazaki Spanish Oak Cask (Sherry Cask), 43%
… Yes the ~$5k bottle. https://www.wine-sea … le+malt+whisky+japan. Named Best in the World by the Whiskey Bible few years back the price of this bottling have skyrocketed since. Is it worth anywhere near $5000? Not at all. Will someone with more money than brains pay it? Yes. Is the supply smaller than the number of folks willing to pay the price? Likely.
A unique note, and a very Japanese specific. The casks for this are specially selected and commissioned in Spain by the master blender in person by picking specific trees they want to make into casks.
Nose: Very gentle oloroso sherry. This isn’t varnish. This is super delicate varnish for royal halls. Dark stewed fruits, baked apples, nuts for days, notably not sweet. Sign me up for having my nose in this forever if I can.
Palate: Still not sweet, perfectly balanced. Slightly smoky, perhaps just from sherry. More nuts, fruits and malt in the mix. Little bit of dark leather and dry wood come up in the secondary flavors and there are plenty of layers and layers here.
Aftertaste: More sherry, gently fading from the palate. Yet again balanced to perfection and lasts for quite a while with bit of tannin nuttiness (walnuts) lingering.
Overall: I feel like i should put my thoughts down as a separate line. This is hands down excellent, yet I don’t love it. I think Glendronach 25+ is easily as good if not better, at 10x less in price and fairly easily available comparably. Yes this is good, yet the low proof is a major downside and for my tastes it could do with being a tiny bit sweeter to balance. Price and availability isn’t even worth mentioning here… actually these are just sitting on the shelves because of the over-inflated valuation. Consider a heavy ‘buyer beware’ disclaimer here. Will I drink this? Yes, anytime and any day! Will I pay for it? Not in any foreseeable situation!
Score: A
Toki, 43%
A blend of the above in some sort of proportion. Mostly the Chita grain and Hakushu oak. Used a lot in highball drinks.
Nose: Green pears and apples from the orchard
Palate: Mint and green apples. Quite light and refreshing. Slight sweetness in the secondary flavors that are subtle yet complex.
Aftertaste: Enjoyable but really missing that maltiness. More mint and perhaps some garden herbs showing up. Little bit of wood and spice at the tail-end with a whisper of smoke lingering. A well-crafted blend with nothing outstanding and clearly aimed at highballs rather than neat. Still, quite drinkable as a summer drink without regrets if choices are limited.
Score: C+
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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown