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.

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.

Hakushu 1984 White Oak Cask
Single Malt - Japan - 61.00% 8 Its edgy assertiveness might bother aesthetes but I warm to a whisky that knows its own mind.

Hakushu 1988 Bourbon Cask
Single Malt - Japan - 61.00% 8 Lean, limber and characteristically smoky. A clear sense of Hakushu malt without heavy wood influence.

Hakushu 30th Anniversary Bottling
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 8 A beautifully composed whisky. No aggression, but a great sense of authority.

Hokuto 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 40.00% 8 A wee cracker. Nothing sophisticated. Clean, straight and well combined. Quite cheering.

Hokuto 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 40.00% 7 A pleasant summery dram. Keeps fruity all the way.

Ichiro's Malt 1985 Ace of Spades
Single Malt - Japan - 55.00% 7 When oak is elegantly mastered, no problem. Same with the alcohol. A beautiful example of controlled maturation.

Ichiro's Malt 1988 King of Diamonds
Single Malt - Japan - 56.00% 8 Water undoubtedly tames the alcohol but alters the freshness and enticing natural sharpness of that bold whisky.

Ichiro's Malt 1988 Single Malt Vintage
Single Malt - Japan - 56.00% 8 A pungent character. Warm phenolic and uncompromising but hiding a pleasant cereal sweetness. The alcoholic strength is somewhat burning though. Water helps but does not cut all the sharp edges.

Ichiro's Malt 1990 Queen of Hearts
Single Malt - Japan - 54.00% 7 A well balanced and refreshing dram. Try it with raw fish and ginger in vinegar.

Ichiro's Malt 20 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 46.00% 7 The nose is more enticing than the palate. Water reduces the gap, bringing in a velvety texture.

Ichiro's Malt Ace of Hearts, 22 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 56.00% 8 Water cuts the edges a little but does not mellow the sourness.