Japanese Whisky Live Tasting - April 10-24th

[Ryguy]

Welcome to the Japanese Whisky Live Tasting

The Whiskies

Any Japanese whiskies you may have...

Date and Time
Based on the poll that was conducted, everyone was going to be available on different weekends. So to get as many people involved as possible, this tasting will be open for the following three weekends.

Friday April 9th - Sunday April 11th
Friday April 16th - Sunday April 18th
Friday April 23rd - Sunday April 25th

Start time - 7:00pm GMT

About...
For those of you who do not know what these are about, they run for generally 12+ hours and we all sit down (at various times) to taste a range of whiskies and share our notes and comments on the forum. Have a look in the Live Tasting Forum for past events.

They are a great way to meet people on the forum, chat about your experiences and learn something new about the whiskies you have, and we all end up having a good time.

Please feel free to join in and post any comments or tasting notes you have. Tasting notes can be added using the Tasting Note tab on the postings page. (Note, the Age field on the tasting must be a number such as 7,9,10,18)

We look forward to seeing you beginning Friday evening.....

[Ganga]

I'd like to thank Ryan for setting this up for everyone. Hope everyone gets a chance to ask questions, provide some notes and generally enjoy themselves.

Nikka Pure Malt 12

Glass: minicairn
Nose: sweet bread (not sweet breads), plum skins, straw, cracked wheat
Palate: dough, black pepper, bay leaves, oregano
Finish: relatively short, plum wine with a touch of pepper

This is really good whisky. Hope I can get another bottle of this returned from Japan.

[pkt77242]

Rich, how many Japanese whiskies do you have to taste?

[Ganga]

Just the one. But I have a lot of different glasses.

[pkt77242]

I have four to go through. First up is Yamazaki 12. brb.

[pkt77242]

Yamazaki 12

N: Ginger, gingerbread cookies, and banana. very malty. Hints of vanilla.
P: Vanilla, and malt. gingerbread cookies and banana bread. slight salt.
F: medium short on malt and vanilla. hints of ginger as well.

A nice whisky, not super complex but enjoyable.

[pkt77242]

Yamazaki 18

N: somewhat heavy oak. cinnamon, nutmeg, and almonds. Polished oak and slighty cherry. Also a hint of tree bark and leaves.
P: Lots of polished oak, and nutmeg. some menthol and cranberries. rather dry. a hint of almonds and walnuts.
F: Medium and super dry. slight nutmeg, polished oak and menthol.

Very nice but super dry.

[pkt77242]

Karuizawa 1972/2008 sherry cask 7290 65% (big thanks to Jobi for the sample)

N: orange marmalade, raisins, and mushrooms. tangerine, peach, pineapple and coconut linger in the background. Almost no oak for an old whisky.
P: Orange marmalade, cinnamon, raisins and just a hint of coconut and tangerine. Maybe a touch of grapefruit.
F: long finish on orange and cinnamon. a little oak and cinnamon. Gets drying at the very end.

One of the 10 best whiskies I have ever had. very little oak for its age.

[pkt77242]

Karuizawa 1985/2009 sherry cask 7017 60.8%

N: Gun metal, gun powder and struck matches. Cherry and walnuts.
P: Gun metal, gun powder and struck matches. Cherry and walnuts. Really the same as the nose. Some earthy notes as well. leaves, and a hint of smoke.
F: Medium. Mushrooms, leaves, and gun metal.

The notes sound like I don't enjoy it but I do. Not anywhere as complex as the 1972 but more of a in your face brute.

[dramtastic]

Nikka Taketsuru 21 43%

This has won the WWA for best blended malt whisky for the last couple of years so here goes.

Nose: Masses of sweet oak, wheat, peaches, and the first hints I've had from this one of some sherry in the equation. After a while there are some floral notes.

Palate: Salt, big oak, malt, biscuity, ginger spice, black pepper, the soft coating on the outside of peanuts. Packs a lot more punch than 43% might suggest.

Finish: Is warming and a tad alcoholic. Medium length, mainly leaves some fresh mintyness and peanuts on the palate then a little dry.

Tonight - 85/100

[dramtastic]

Suntory Pure Malt "Hokutu" aged 12 years 40%

This has the black label and top. There is also a Suntory Hokuto Blend with a white label and top.

Nose: Dreamy mix of gentle oak, vanilla, cream, tropical fruits such as banana, papaya(paw paw) and guava.

Palate: Smooth and creamy mouth feel and basically follows the nose with some white pepper spice thrown in.

Finish: Is warming of medium length, spicy, oaky and herbaceous.

I have loved this whisky from the moment I opened the bottle. Nothing changes tonight. It's been a while since I've had the Yama and Hakushu SM 12 year olds, but if memory serves me correctly, from the same family tree I prefer this. Great value too at about Euro20 in Japan.

Tonight - 90/100

[dramtastic]

Karuizawa SM 17 40%

Nose: Struck match type sulphury notes but in this case not in a bad way.
Sherry, marmalade on toast. Hint of glue.

Palate: Sherry, oak, a little nutty, smoke.

Finish: Sherry, smokey, pepper, dry.

This is an odd malt that's lacks complexity an cohesion. It's not bad, in some ways it's interesting, it's just not special.

Tonight 83/100

[dramtastic]

I'd like to thank Ryan for setting this up for everyone. Hope everyone gets a chance to ask questions, provide some notes and generally enjoy themselves.

Nikka Pure Malt 12

Glass: minicairn
Nose: sweet bread (not sweet breads), plum skins, straw, cracked wheat
Palate: dough, black pepper, bay leaves, oregano
Finish: relatively short, plum wine with a touch of pepper

This is really good whisky. Hope I can get another bottle of this returned from Japan.

Is this the Nikka Pure Malt 12 "Hokkaido" Ganga?

[Spirit of Islay]

I need to pay more attention , never noticed this !
Good Job i picked up a Yamazaki 12 and a Hakusku 12 in the Bowmore Distillery Visitors Centre on Friday Morning......Better than picking up Bowmore Whisky i suppose......

[dramtastic]

N : Spicy and chocolatey with something sweet that I can't identify - molasses perhaps? Again quite a big spirit hit.


P : Initially some lemon in here. Then it gets quite peaty (last time I tried this it appeared to be just a little peat that came in, this time it seems more, but I still don't know if it's peated or my imagination).
Then some asphalt. I find this quite complex - there's more there than I have managed to identify (very tired after yesterday's 6 hours in A&E and Thursday's all-night vigil).

F : Reasonably long with more asphalt.

Very nice and far superior to the 1991 IMO

Which batch of 1992 is this C57? Thanks

[Spirit of Islay]

Karuizawa 1982 56.1% For the Whisky Exchange 10th Anniversary.
First Fill Sherry Cask 2748

Nose - Sherried Christmas Cake straight away , The Dried Fruits , The Cake Dough , Menthol and Mint , fantastic nose ! Even a whiff of Coffee and smoke .
Palate - I'll stick with my original notes i made from a sample , a lovely dry sherriness , again coffee , smoke , spices (cloves , christmas cake....) , an incredible mouthfeel !
Finish - A lovely long dry Sherriness , menthol and Cloves .
Comment - So glad i finally decided to buy a bottle of this , A beautiful Single malt from the land of the rising sun , i'd put this up against anything from Scotland . Must have been a top class sherry cask !

[dramtastic]

Yoichi 20, 52%

Excellent! This I really like - goes on the buy list.

Expensive, but worth every penny. One of my top 10 whiskys.

[Spirit of Islay]

Hakushu 12yo 43.5%

Nose - Very light at first , honey sweetness , Quite Fruity (tinned pears and peaches spring to mind....) , a waft of cigar smoke.....
Palate - Again fruity (pears definitely on the palate ) , very smooth across the palate , a touch of peat / smoke but not a lot .
Finish - A quite sweet (Honey) finish with a touch of lemon .
Comment - This is better than what i remembered from a tasting i first had it at , very pleasant and i may return to Bowmore to pick up another bottle at their very reasonable price in the summer !

[Spirit of Islay]

10yo Yamazaki 40%
12yo Yamazaki 43%
May as well do them Head to Head....
Nose(10yo) - A very clean nose , loads of pears , lightly spiced and vanilla .
Nose(12yo) - Again a clean nose , very orangie , vanilla and oak .
Palate(10yo) - Fruity and vanilla but quite light (in a wishy-washy way) on the palate .
Palate(12yo) - Quite fruity on the palate , spices , vanilla , a touch of sweetness .
Finish(10yo) - Quite a fruity finish , Oaky and spicy .
Finish(12yo) - A nice clean finish , with pear juice and an oaky spiciness .
Comment - These are really nice drams , the 10yo is slightly lacking something at it's 40% (don't get me wrong it's still very drinkable !) , the 12yo has a slight edge with it's slightly stronger strength but it has something extra as well . The 12yo reminds me of a Glen Moray and is my fav of the 2 , though they have a long way to go to match the SMWS Yamazakis i've had .

[Spirit of Islay]

I do like the Screw tops on the Suntory bottles !

[Spirit of Islay]

It's a while since i first tasted a Japanese whisky ( A not very nice Yoichi in the Lochside) but my first Society Yamazaki (119.8 ) changed my opinion on Japanese Whisky . Since then the Standard Yamas have kept me amused , though the 18yo didn't impress me , but The Whisky Exchange really impressed me with their Karuizawa's (the 67 and the 82 ) . Their Hakushu was nice as well . Others (mainly blends ) have been so-so but on the whole i've been impressed by Japanese whisky and long may it continue .

[Ras Mazunga]

I have

Hakushu 12 unopened, whih I may open for this
Karuizawa 1991
Karuizawa 1992
Nikka "From the Barrel"
Yamazaki Sherry Cask
Yamazaki 12
Yoichi 20
SMWS 113.13 Yoichi 1985 23

Don't forget the Yoichi 1991 and Nikka White.

[Ras Mazunga]

Just had a Nikka White 46%. Great whisky, notes will follow.

All the samples/bottles I have are whiskies I have tried before except this one: Yamazaki sherry cask 48%.
n: beautiful heavily sherried with all the expected, leather, chocolate, some honey, after some time and a drop of wter I smell oranges
t: sherried, later oranges
f: without water a little rough, with a drop of water nice sweet and fruity finish.
c: A'bunadh sherry style at first.

[Ras Mazunga]

Just had a Nikka White 46%. Great whisky, notes will follow.

All the samples/bottles I have are whiskies I have tried before except this one: Yamazaki sherry cask 48%.
n: beautiful heavily sherried with all the expected, leather, chocolate, some honey, after some time and a drop of wter I smell oranges
t: sherried, later oranges
f: without water a little rough, with a drop of water nice sweet and fruity finish.
c: A'bunadh sherry style at first.

[dramtastic]

Just had a Nikka White 46%. Great whisky, notes will follow.

Is this the Nikka Pure Malt White RM? If so my bottle from Japan is 43% not 46%. I love this whisky and it's overt peatyness.

[Ras Mazunga]

Yes, it is the Pure Malt and it is 43%. I was misstaken.
Very affordable too for 22.95 euro.

[Wave]

I'm just opening one of my Japanese whisky's tonight, but it is a special one.
Hanyu 20yo 1985 Gu Bràth Matthew D. Forrest 57% alc/vol

N: Sherry notes, rose hips, chocolate

P: Spicy and sweet like raisins/prunes, cherries

F: Long and drying, salt and black pepper, slightly sweetened


Cheers!

[dramtastic]

Suntory Pure Malt Aged 7 Years Black label(Yamazaki distillery) 43%

Nose: Smooth quite heavy sherry. Oak, raisins, stone fruit(plums?), wood stain. What seems like a touch of peat or smoke.

Palate: Palate is ripe stone fruit, christmas cake, raisins, wood stain and again that hint of smoke/burnt twigs/matches.... or something like that.

Finish: Spicy, raisins, sherry, hot on the palate(not alcoholic heat), generally warming and of medium length. A little dry.

I wouldn't pick this for a young whisky, it's far too composed and focused. This has spent time in a very good sherry butt.

Really enjoyable

Tonight 89/100

Almost gave it an extra point but I thought that would sound ridiculous for a 7 year old. Maybe 89 already does?

[dramtastic]

White Oak Distillery SM Aged 5 Years 45%

Nose: Well the colour is yellow box honey and the nose follows suit. Is this only 5 years old!? Oak and tinned apricots, treacle, fresh dough. Smooth and balanced.

Palate: Honey and treacle on crumpets, soft oak, dough, maybe some cinnamon or nutmeg spice, certainly ginger.

Finish: Nicely spicy, yet also creamy with good length. Some mineral like quality's and lingering.........lingering smoke. Where did that come from?

Again, really fantastic for the age. This is a working distillery so I wish these guys all the best. From what I've tasted they have a big future if they can get their product out and don't go the way of the Dodo.

If you asked me what whiskys have a similar(of course not exact) profile I would say HP12 and Glenfarclas 21. Think your honey/heather styles. IMO this is better balanced and preferable to either of those.

88/100 Bring on a 12 year old!

[dramtastic]

White Oak Distillery SM Aged 5 Years 45%

Nose: Well the colour is yellow box honey and the nose follows suit. Is this only 5 years old!? Oak and tinned apricots, treacle, fresh dough. Smooth and balanced.

Palate: Honey and treacle on crumpets, soft oak, dough, maybe some cinnamon or nutmeg spice, certainly ginger.

Finish: Nicely spicy, yet also creamy with good length. Some mineral like quality's and lingering.........lingering smoke. Where did that come from?

Again, really fantastic for the age. This is a working distillery so I wish these guys all the best. From what I've tasted they have a big future if they can get their product out and don't go the way of the Dodo.

If you asked me what whiskys have a similar(of course not exact) profile I would say HP12 and Glenfarclas 21. Think your honey/heather styles. IMO this is better balanced and preferable to either of those.

88/100 Bring on a 12 year old!

Note: At the last sip this delivers vegetal/earthy peat a plenty. Complex, Yum!

[dramtastic]

Yoichi SM NAS 43%

Nose: Immediately recognisable Yoichi OB nose of sherry, oak, malted honey, varnish and sweet peat.

Palate: Honey, golden syrup, oak, malt and sweet peat.

Finish: Malty, bran, quite dry and minty, vegetal peat. Very good length.

Tonight 84/100

[ClubSmed]

Hakushu 12 years old 43.5%
Colour: Amber
Nose: Paint tester pot, Honey, Licorice root
Palate: Rolling tobacco in a Sauna, mature Cheese Wax
Finish: Cereal, Smoke

Comment: A very nice malt and would buy it if it way priced slightly less (currently £50+)

http://www.thewhiskyreview.com/whisky_r ... iew&id=828

[ClubSmed]

I do like the Screw tops on the Suntory bottles !

Agreed Gordon. They have a particular feel of quality that, say, G&M's don't.

I can see no reason why all whiskies shouldn't have screw tops if hey were this quality

I couldn't agree more!

[lockejn]

I do like the Screw tops on the Suntory bottles !

Agreed Gordon. They have a particular feel of quality that, say, G&M's don't.

I can see no reason why all whiskies shouldn't have screw tops if hey were this quality

I couldn't agree more!

+1

[Spirit of Islay]

Hakushu 12 years old 43.5%

Comment: A very nice malt and would buy it if it way priced slightly less (currently £50+)

Matt it's £38 a bottle at Bowmore Distillery......if you happen to visit Islay......