Nose: An elegance reminiscent of the 3 plus 25. A subtle interplay between the American White Oak and sherry casks. Vanilla, crème brulee, strawberry, guava, oak, leather, dried fruits.
Palate: Vanilla, banana, dried fruits, leather, tobacco leaf, gentle spices, a little nutty, a little oily.
Finish: Lingers on dried fruits and tobacco leaf. The oiliness remains to the end.
Last Word: A deft blending of different cask types. Wish it was at least 46%abv though.
Rating: 88/100
On various whisky forums there is often much debate/finger pointing/conjecture, about whisky blogs and whisky samples. Mostly around who is getting freebee’s and what repercussions this has for objectivity or even the ability to write accurate notes from sometimes very small samples.
So to set the record straight, here at The Japanese Whisky Review I will confirm the following:
The closest I have ever had to receiving free samples comes in 3 parts.
I received a sample to go with a very expensive bottle I bought once. This may happen again, but only when I have purchased a full bottle. I wrote notes on this site from this sample.
I enjoyed tasting some samples at a bar once and then went out with the owner to another bar where I picked up the tab for food, whisky and cab fare. I only wrote tasting notes for this site on one of the samples(which I subsequently bought a bottle of).
I have swapped a small amount samples, often sending more than I have received and of greater rarity.
I buy 99% of my samples from whiskysamples. So when you read at the bottom of a review, notes taken from a purchased sample, 99% of the time, this is where I bought it from.
So why don’t I solicit samples? Because I believe it is the only way to remain totally objective when writing tasting notes. I am a Japanese Whisky Enthusiast pure and simple, just like my readers, putting my hand in my pocket to support a passion that I love, just like they do.
Nose: Quite earthy. Wet Autumn leaves, sweet orange, leather, pipe tobacco, dried papaya, marmalade, dried pears.
Palate: Sweet and hot spices. Tangy orange, boot leather, cigar leaf, dried fruits, chocolate, almonds, nougat. Quite a bit of drying oak but works well with the other flavors. Water heightens the nougat and adds a little marzipan.
Finish: Hot spices, salt, marmalade, leather, caramelised orange juice, nougat and then drying oak.
Last word: I’m won over by the balance between the spices, fruity notes and drying elements
Rating: 91/100
*Notes taken from a purchased sample.
The Whisky Exchange has just listed the last 4 of the ‘regular’ Ichiro’s Malt Card series bottling’s. 
While not cheap, certainly a bargain compared to what another high profile closed Japanese whisky distillery product’s sell for. You can never predict how fast these will sell, but in Japan these last four sold out very quickly. As we know now there will be a bottling, maybe two, of the Joker, but I don’t know if these will be sold outside of Japan.
Nose: Lots of oak and sawdust. Pineapple chunks, vanilla, orange, flint, charcoal, shoe polish, peanut butter.
Palate: Charred BBQ steak. Ash, mixed peel, peanuts and a little salt. Water make this tangier.
Finish: Very ashy and dry. Also some menthol and peanut sauce.
Last Word: Look it’s ok, but I’ve a number of $20-30 Japanese whiskies that are better. Nuff said!
Rating: 81/10
*Notes taken from a purchased sample
Nose: Raisins, figs, new tanned leather, candied orange slices, demerara rum, nutmeg, sweet tobacco, cloves and some earthiness. Pretty much what I expected.
Palate: Juicy. Plums, raisins, orange chocolate, coffee, cocoa, nutmeg, pepper, demerara rum, cloves. The earthiness again but not as prominent as many a Hakushu. Light, clean body.
Finish Short and clean. Raisins, chocolate, plums, orange peel, some gentle spiciness, a little dry then quite a hit of tinned passion fruit.
Last Word: Well balanced sherry cask whisky with lots of typical Suntory sherry cask notes and flavors but lacks the wow factor.
Rating: 87/10
*For an alternate review check out Whiskies R Us
Nose: Lots of seaside notes: salt, seaweed, shellfish, sea urchin. Also mixed nuts, toffee, fruit gums . After about 30 minutes, tobacco, leather, melons, lychees and apricots.
Palate: Buttery, chocolate, fruit tingles, brazil nuts, toffee, cocoa powder, nutmeg, nougat and menthol. Later lychees, rock melons, a surprising amount of pure smokiness, then ash but without excessive dryness. Wonderfully rounded.
Finish: Buttery, nutty, cocoa, nutmeg, rock melon and honeydew melon. Menthol then long lingering smoke.
Last Word: Displays superb clarity.
Rating: 90/100
So this whisky has won a couple of ‘whisky awards’ of late. As you will see from my notes, I was already a big fan back when it was first released. So what’s going on with this bottling outside of Japan a couple of years later. Now I follow whiskyauction fairly closely. I think this may be the first time I have seen this particular Mars bottling listed. Now I paid about Euro 115 in 2011. Bidding is currently at Euro 242. Auction finishes on the 8th of June. I’ll be tracking to see where this one ends up.
UPDATE 27/5/2013 – I’ll add that some retailers in Japan who did not stock this bottling when it was first released, now have it on the shelves with a ‘NEW’ tag. Price in Japan however, remains the same as in 2011.
Nose: Vanilla, antiseptic, forest floor covered in autumn leaves, fermented pears, steamed green vegetables, coal fire, pineapple, roasted chestnuts. Hot!
Palate: Big! Charred vanilla, cinnamon donuts, chocolate cannoli’s, marzipan, nougat, steamed green vegies ash, heavy earthy peat.
Finish: Heavy peat mixed with creamy nuts, chocolate, sweet spices and candy flavors.
Last Word. Hakushu can do heavy peat and not just in name.
Nose: Lemon cough drops, brine, thick earthy peat, grapefruit, sump oil, old leather, tarred rope, dried pears, overripe papaya, some floral notes.
Palate: Honey lemon cough drops, heavy earthy peat, grapefruit, milk chocolate, sump oil. lemon zest, white pepper, oats, pork fat. A little water adds candies, mixed dried herbs and nougat.
Finish: Honey, mouth coating earthy peat, ash, lemon, grapefruit. Adding water has the same effect as the palate.
Last Word: A Heavily Peated Hakushu in nature not just in name. Addictive!
Rating: 90/100
Yesterday saw the release of a new bottling from the Mars Distillery. This one is a blend of American White Oak and Sherry Cask matured whisky and aged for a minimum of 22 years. According to the press release a total of 4 casks were used. I tasted this one at TIBS/Whiskylive Tokyo last month and initial impressions were favorable. Full tasting notes will follow at a later date as I have placed my order. Only 1359 bottles available at a price of Y9500. A fair price I believe, especially for a 750ml bottle. For international shipping orders Auc-claude whiskies still has a few in stock at the time of writing. If you are in Tokyo try Liquors Hasegawa.
I don’t think they are going to have a problem selling these but I still encourage all Japanese whisky enthusiasts to get behind small distilleries like Mars. Look out for another release from Mars on the 5th of June. I’ll post on this one when it hits the shelves but I can tell you it was a big hit at TIBS/Whiskylive Tokyo amongst the people I talked to and is amazing value for the quality.
Nose: Stewed pears, Stewed apples, bee’s wax, a bag of white peaches, licorice, raspberry conserve, light peat, coal, earthy.
Palate: Big peppery heat and ginger. Licorice powder, white peaches, burnt apple sauce, roasted chestnuts, medium peat. A touch of water adds, toffee, cocoa, rhubarb and balance to the hotter elements.
Finish: Coal fire, pepper, ginger, burnt apple sauce, peat, licorice, salt. Water adds rhubarb, cocoa and smoked fish. Long.
Last Word: Some like it hot. I do! Another fine young Hanyu. Nose works best without water, the palate and finish with.
Rating: 89/100
For an alternate review check out Whiskies R Us
Nose: Stone fruits, praline, drying newly tanned leather, caramel, oak, soy sauce, ash, brine.
Palate: Brown sugar, nutmeg, toffee, pepper, brazil nuts, horse radish, mouth coating. A touch of water adds rhubarb, strawberry compote, ginger, almonds and the whole grows more palate smacking.
Finish: Rhubarb, strawberry jam, pepper, tobacco, leather and ash.
Last Word: A sweet/dry combo.
Rating: 90/100
Nose: Peaches, nectarines, apricot jam, toffee, wood stain, leather, tobacco, lemon juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, peppermint.
Palate: Nutmeg, pepper, tobacco, wood spices, maple syrup. Opens up nicely with water with sugar glazed orange slices, walnuts, bubblegum, cinnamon, sherbet, cola, hint of peat.
Finish: Some pepper, earthy peat, bubblegum, wet cement and tangy sweet spice.
Last Word: Took about 18 months for this one to open up and reveal some extra complexity.
Rating: 88/100
Nose: Light oak, incense, pepper, vanilla, lemon rind, pancake batter, apricot jam. All subtly delivered.
Palate: Again quite subtle. Lightly estery, oak, caramel, incense, aromatic wood spice.
Finish: Pretty much as per the palate. Quite oaky for the age. All perfectly drinkable but nothing special.
Last Word: Hanyu Light!
Rating: 82/100
*Notes taken from a purchased sample
Nose: Pu-erh tea, struck match, burnt twigs, varnish, mixed peel, grapefruit.
Palate: Adds the following to the nose. Fig jam, burnt popcorn and green grapes. Water ramps up bitter elements.
Finish: Earthy, bitter and lots of burnt notes(twigs, popcorn, struck match).
Last Word: Fairly unpleasant and tough for me to finish, especially with water added. For lovers of ‘dirty’ sherry style whiskies a la many a Karuizawa.
Rating: 76/100
*Notes taken from a purchased sample.
Nose: Malt, toffee, honey, pollen, tobacco, white pepper.
Palate: Follows the nose quite closely and adds butter, ginger, bran and oak.
Finish Chewy toffee, ginger, nutmeg, bran and some drying tobacco.
Last Word: Not particularly complex but tasty enough and like many Chichibu, belies it’s young age with no residual new make notes that I can discern.
Rating: 83/100
Nose: Strawberries. White chocolate, light port, zinfandel, young plums, nutmeg, maple syrup a briny element, wood stained oak. Immediately young in nature though.
Palate: Quite of lot of pepper and nutmeg. White plums, zinfandel, white chocolate, light port, maple syrup, a little soapiness to the mouth feel. Again quite youthful.
Finish: Short on white plums, nutmeg and zinfandel.
Last word: The young age shines through in this one. Not in a base spirit kind of way, but a lack of richness/fullness to the flavors.
Rating: 80/100
You can find another impression of this one at Whiskies R US
This post mainly effects Japanese readers and hopefully isn’t a portent of things to come for Single Cask Yoichi prices outside of Japan which are already sky high.
I tasted the following at Whisky Live Tokyo a couple of weeks ago; Yoichi Single Cask 1988-2013 23YO Warehouse 25 #100212 62%
Very impressive whisky and I was looking forward to it’s release, hoping to buy a couple of bottles. Well it has now been released on Nikka’s Asahi Shop website for a whopping Y31500!
Now I purchased the last 2 bottling’s of Yoichi Single Cask from the same website(with a Japanese contacts help), and both cost me about Y19000, the younger one maybe a bit cheaper. One was a 1994 and the other a 1988, both bottled in 2012. Both are also excellent. So we are talking about a 50%+ price bump between the last releases and the latest. Now I firmly believe these are Y19000 bottling’s, the 1988 cask 100129 being one of my all-time favorite whiskies. But Y31000, that’s the sort of pricing that takes the wind out of my purchasing sails. Strangely enough, Miyagikyo Single Cask prices do not seem to have been effected, with the latest release on par with the previous bottling at Y8400 for a 2001-2013. So, Miyagikyo here I come(for now)!
Day 11 and I decided the head back to Bar Hermit Regalo. Why, because when you are on a cheap thing stick to it I say. Basically stuck with 3 of the Ichiro’s Card Series malts they have on their special price list at the moment and one that wasn’t but had always wanted to try. That 4th one was the Ace of Spades 1st release. Even at the regular price of Y2500, this to me was still good value compared to many other bars. This Ace of Spades only had an outrun or 122 bottles so there could not be too many still floating around, at least not open and available at a bar that any adult can walk into off the street. There was a second release Ace of Spades with an outrun of 300 bottles, released in 2006 and bottled at 55.7%.
Tasted:
Ichiro’s Malt Vintage 1986-2007 21YO Hogshead 58%
Ichiro’s Malt Jack of Spades 1990-2007 17YO New Wood Finish #7002 54.2%
Ichiro’s Malt Queens of Diamonds 1985-2007 French Cognac Cask Finish #9109 58.5%
Ichiro’s Malt Ace of Spades 1st Release 1985-2005 20YO Spanish Oak Sherry Butt Finish 55%
Day 12 had me tidying up my bottle purchases. Had a few pre ordered before I arrived in Japan and there was few more to buy.
So this is what I am taking home and a big shout to my family who are with me and agreed to be whisky mules giving up their own duty free allowances.
2 x Ichiro’s Malt Hanyu 2000-2012 12YO Mizunara Heads Cask for Isetan 59.2%
1 x Yamazaki Single Sherry Cask for Isetan 1998-2011 #CU 70067 61%
1 x Yamazaki Heavily Peated NAS 2013 48%
2 x Karuizawa 12YO OB Hanshin Tigers Label 40%
1 x Karuizawa Colors of 4 Seasons 1st Release 2000-2012 #5329 64.2%
2 x Karuizawa Colors of 4 Seasons 2nd Release 2000-2013 #5173 64.8%
1 x Karuizawa OB 1966 21YO 43%
1 x Karuizawa Memories 1991-2013 21YO Sherry Butt #9106 63.7%
1 x Mars Single Cask 1990-2011 21YO American White Oak #902 64.7%
Not a purchase, but I also was kindly given a 180ml bottle of Yoichi Genshu Sherry and Sweet, Single Cask, Cask Strength.
Day 13 is leaving day. Evening flight back to Australia but we have to head to the airport just after 5pm. As most dedicated whisky bars don’t open until 6pm, whisky drinking for this trip is done and dusted. Hang on, the try before you buy bar at the Isetan department store in Shinjuku opens at 2pm and they have a couple of Single Cask Japanese whiskies available to try that I haven’t tasted before. Maybe enough time to sneak in 2 more………….