Yamazaki 1980 Japanese White Oak Cask

Tasted in Whisky Magazine Issue 29 by Michael Jackson and Dave Broom.

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Tasting Notes

Michael Jackson Nose Very aromatic. Floral, but flowers with a heavy scent, like a geranium. Or perhaps a tropical flower. Leafy. Herbal. Minty. Oily. Palate Fragrant, with lots of flavour development. Cedary notes, orange and maple syrup. Finish Sweet but also peppery. Comment The most herbal and spicy of these three bottlings, and the most distinctive.

Dave Broom Nose Medium-weight, quite oaky — sawmills, cedar logs, varnish. A sweetness akin to maple syrup or candy floss and an orangey note. Palate Soft. Clean, fresh maltiness. Grips from mid-palate, building up charred notes. Clean, spicy. Finish Clean. Soft. Comment Aged in a Japanese-made, second-fill, US white oak cask, so no bourbon ageing involved. A worthwhile experiment typical of this enterprising distillery.