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Whisky Index : Japanese Whisky - Single Malt

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Issue 111 Out Now

Whisky Magazine Issue 111

Kentucky, Louisville, Benromach

 

Japanese Whisky - Single Malt

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 120.4 Tibetan Joss-Sticks and Polynesian Pork 1990 18 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 59.30% 7 The nose is a delight. To enjoy the palate,you have to be a wood freak.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Hakushu 1981, 21 Years Old, 120.1
Single Malt - Japan - 60.70% 8 A very enigmatic malt. Lighter in body but drier and more assertive in flavour than Yamazaki. A digestif.

Whisky Magazine - Editors Choice - Winner

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Yamazaki 1979, Japanese Oak Cask, 119.2
Single Malt - Japan - 57.40% 8 A breakfast malt? Splendidly complex, with Japanese oak adding that extra touch of distinctiveness.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Yamazaki 1980, White Oak Cask, 119.1
Single Malt - Japan - 50.90% 8 Elegant, and more flavoursome than Suntory bottlings I think.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Yamazaki 1991, 11 Years Old, 119.5
Single Malt - Japan - 62.20% 8 Saves all the action for the finish. Very appetising.

Whisky Magazine - Recommended - Winner

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Yamazaki, 10 Years Old, 119.3
Single Malt - Japan - 56.20% 8 A surprising amount of peat in this usually very delicate malt.

Whisky Magazine - Editors Choice - Winner

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Yoichi, 116.1
Single Malt - Japan - 56.60% 8 A whole sequence of flavours emerges in this vintage. These are flavours I have found before in Nikka whiskies, but they have not been especially evident elsewhere in this flight.

Whisky Magazine - Editors Choice - Winner

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Yoichi, 116.4
Single Malt - Japan - 64.90% 8 Lots happening. Nice interplay of elements.

Chichibu Newborn (Cask #447: Double Matured, Unpeated 1 Year Old)
Single Malt - Japan - 0.00% This is all about the wood and while I can see the commercial interest this is just an interesting experiment that's been bottled. Personally, I prefer it in refill and am willing to wait.

Chichibu Newborn Cask #126
Single Malt - Japan - 0.00% Shows that there's complexity. Evidence that Chichibu is one to watch.

Chichibu Newborn Heavily Peated Cask #451
Single Malt - Japan - 0.00% Has more presence than cask 447 thanks to the smoke which allows the spirit to show through some pretty domineering oak. A market for a developing style.

Fuji Sanroku 18 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 The complexity of the nose is not reflected on the palate. But the clean dryness makes it refreshing and enjoyable.

Fujigotenba 15 Years Old, Single Grain
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 Characterful but I would have easily mistaken it for Cognac.

Fujigotenba 18 Years Old, Single Malt
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 I like its balance and elegance. Again in a cognac style like a mature X. O. from 'fins bois terroir'.

Golden Horse Chichibu 10 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 Fresh, lively, flirtatious but slightly tart and astringent.

Golden Horse Chichibu 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 50.00% 6 Bittersweet, sophisticated.

Golden Horse Chichibu 8 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 Well-balanced. Elegant.

Hakushu 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 What you nose is not what you get. The palate is rather coarse as much as the nose is subtle. Water cuts the edges.

Hakushu 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 A perfectly balanced dram. Fruit and spices mingle gently.

Hakushu 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 Delicacy to the fore. A breakfast dram.

Whisky Magazine - Recommended - Winner

Hakushu 12 Years Old Pure Malt
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 8 A beautifully structured, appetising, whisky. Captivating.

Hakushu 18 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 Less sweet and fruity on the palate than the nose led you to expect. The balance is not there. Water makes it more bitter.

Hakushu 18 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 A colourful character, lively and dancing on nose and palate.

Hakushu 18 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 Another lighter one which only gets going in the middle of the mouth.

Hakushu 1982 Sherry Cask
Single Malt - Japan - 61.00% 7 I would love this whisky if it had a little less wood. I want to love it anyway, but in the end the wood defeats me.


 

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