Nose: Smoke infused lime, cucumber, pine, putty, medium earthy peat, hoisin sauce, pear jubes, green apple peels, lemon cough drops, corned beef, brine.
Palate: Huge hot prickly spices. Earthy peat, wet cement, lime, pine, straight earthiness, pickled ginger, pickles, salted macadamias, a bitter element, ash, corned beef. Adding water drives the ash/pine, ups the macadamias and adds back in the hoisin sauce.
Finish: Lime, brine, corned beef, pepper, pickled ginger then fades fast to earthy peat and ash.
Last Word: Not the most balanced of whiskies and you’d have to like ’em hot. Different enough from the 2012 to warrant the purchase.
Rating: 85/100
Where in Tokyo (pref near Chiba) can I buy this? The local grog shop (Sakura) doesn’t have it? I’m here ’til 14/1/15
Cheers
MDL
Hi,
sorry have no idea where you would buy it. It’s 2013 bottling and would have sold out that year.
Any year is fine – in fact, whatever’s most recent is probably better from omiyage point of view. I’m just struggling to find a shop that sells anything other than the “standards”. All the little grog shops seem to have folded in the face of the supermarkets (Inageya, Life, Besia, etc). Can you tell me of a good shop? I’m going into Tokyo every day, so anything is fine.
Hmmm, that is the issue these days. Most will only have standards these days as, well, that’s about all that is being released. You could try Liquors Hasegawa at Tokyo Main Station, Shinanoya in Kabukicho or possibly your best bet Isetan in Shinjuku down in the basement level food court. Takeshimaya Shujuku has had some of there own bottling’s from time to time as well. There is another small liquor store(name escapes me) near Bic Camera Shinjuku I’ve seen single cask stuff at before. It’s on the same side as Bic Camera either 1 or 2 streets before or after. When you walk down one of those streets it’s on the right hand side about 15 mtrs from the corner. Opens funny hours though and it’s a roller shutter so you can just as easily walk passed it if it’s closed. Good Luck!
Thank you – I will check those out!!
MDL
I’ve heard some say they don’t differ much if at all (regarding the release/year), I beg to differ as I’ve mentioned the 2010 release was the best so far for me, very different indeed to others, so it was good to your opinion on the 2013 release, Brian. Also this seems a bit more hot/spicey compared to last year?
One of the hottest whiskies I’ve tasted in a while Clint.