They say
that familiarity breeds contempt. In
this case, the opposite may be true!
When I mention Japanese whisky to the
“un-initiated”, I receive, if not
contempt, then at least a chuckle.
Please don’t. Some people think that,
taken as a whole, from top to bottom,
Japanese whiskies are the finest
whiskies in the world. (The world,
remember, still includes Scotland.)
Those are bold words, and I’m not
touching them with a ten foot pole, but
the case can be made. Japanese whiskies
are, by and large, beautifully crafted
and exceptionally well-balanced. What
they are not, though, is readily
available. Sometimes what you don’t know
can hurt you; and in this case, since no
one knows about their whiskies, Japan’s
“libation reputation” becomes tarnished.
It’s a dram shame. (Sorry.) As of this
writing, only two expressions of
Japanese whisky are available in the US:
Suntory’s Yamazaki 12 year old and 18
year old. That’s it; just these two, out
of hundreds of expressions from nearly a
dozen distilleries. Sad. Small wonder,
then, that Japan’s whisky industry gets
maligned here in the States; no one
knows much about it. Which is also sad,
because the product is so good – at
least the equal of any other country’s
malts. So, if you ever find yourself
shopping for whisky overseas, or letting
your keyboard do it for you, take a
gamble on something unfamiliar. Maybe
(hopefully) in time, the “whisky walls”
will come down, and the rest of the
world can discover what Japan is keeping
for itself. One can only hope…
Here then, the line-up:
Yamazaki 12 Year Old (43%): A
very accessible, malty nose,
recalling fresh hay, canned pears,
ginger candies, and honey. Though
very smooth, this dram is a little
light on the palate, but not
unpleasantly so. What defines the 12
year old, however, is its finish –
malty and buttery, with a woodsy
heat that could overpower it, if not
for the smoothness. As this single
malt wafts away, notice the flavors
of orange rind, peach pits, and
toast points (to go with the
butter). A pleasant, albeit
introductory, dram. |
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Yamazaki 18 Year Old (43%): Mmmm…
This is one of those whiskies that
can make your mouth water after just
one sniff. Deep and rich, like a
great older bourbon, but less sweet,
the 18’s nose contains a light oak
presence, with notes of raisins,
stewed prunes, sweet cream butter,
honeysuckle, and scents of a citrus
orchard. Its medium-to-full body
segues nicely into its medium-long
finish, with playful amounts of
malt, oak, and light smoke, as well
as flavors of baker’s chocolate and
currant buns. This is a beautifully
balanced, well-crafted single malt
that needs to always be in your
cabinet. Don’t make me come check!
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Hakushu 12 Year Old (43.3%):
Made me want to run through a
mountain field singing tunes from
The Sound of Music. Almost
“Lowland-like”, the nose on this
single malt is wonderfully young and
fragrant; meadow-fresh and akin to a
field of wildflowers. Couple this
with hints of oak and peat, and you
have the makings of a classic. As
you would expect, this whisky has a
light mouthfeel; but it also has an
unexpectedly medium-long finish,
with smoothness, astringency, malt,
oak, and peat – all in the right
amounts. Incredibly subtle, one
taster described the Hakushu 12 year
old as a “whisper on the tongue”.
Sublime.
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Yoichi 15 Year Old (45%): This
dram starts out a little musty, but
this quickly dissipates in the
glass, leaving a very fruity, almost
“dark rum-like” impression: ripe
oranges, fruitcake, nuts, Sugar
Smacks. Given the nose, then, we
were surprised by the relatively
light body and medium-short finish
to this single malt, though it did
add to the complexity of the overall
experience. Slightly smoky, and with
a cereal sweetness, the finish
meshes fairly well with the nose,
which also hints at Port, bitter
almond, tiramisu, and Raisin Bran.
(And no, I wasn’t eating breakfast
when I wrote this.)
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Taketsuru Pure Malt 21 Year Old
(43%) [vatted]: A glorious
sensory assault. The nose has a
wholesome earthiness, as of potting
soil, humus, and pine needles. It
also has a definite maritime
character that’s hard to pin down –
not brininess, but…something. Not to
overstate, but you can also pick-up
honey, lilacs, Earl Grey tea, and
olive oil. One taster even picked-up
fresh soft pretzels. I still have no
idea what he’s talking about. This
vatted malt has a medium-to-full
body, and long, warming finish
that’s just chockfull of
complimentary flavors: toast with
orange marmalade (here we go with
breakfast again), ground cloves,
nutmeg, Oolong tea, new oak, and
Werther’s Originals. What a flavor
palate!
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Hibiki 17 Year Old (43%) [blend]:
A light, pretty nose; slightly
floral with butterscotch, pears,
McIntosh apples, light sherry, and
Toffifay candies. A medium-to-light
body helped set us up nicely for the
malty, toasted oak finish that
seemed to linger longer than
anticipated. Good thing too; after
enjoying the almonds, dried
apricots, sandalwood, and light
floral hints in the Hibiki’s finish,
I enjoyed savoring it. One of the
better blends we’ve tasted. Well
done.
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Suntory Royal (43.4%) [blend]:
This blend’s nose starts with a
little must, like cobwebs in an
attic, but does get better,
eventually revealing lavender, malt,
coconut, and sweet honey buns.
Medium-bodied, the finish is flush
with vanilla and crème wafers, yet
still manages to be a bit astringent
and oaky – no easy feat. Honestly,
overall this isn’t a bad dram, but
it suffers in comparison to some
other Suntory stable mates. |
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Questions or comments are welcome, I can be reached at
brett@whiskyguild.com
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