Nose: Struck match type sulphury notes. Sherry, marmalade on toast. Hint of glue.
Palate: Sherry, oak, a little nutty, struck match, smoke.
Finish: Sherry, smokey, struck match, pepper, dry.
Last Word: This is an odd malt that’s lacks complexity an cohesion. It’s not bad, in some ways it’s interesting, it’s just not special.
Rating: 79/100
Nose: Masses of sweet oak, wheat, peaches, and the first hints I’ve had from this one of some sherry in the equation. After a while there are some floral notes.
Palate: Salt, big oak, malt, biscuity, ginger spice, black pepper, the soft coating on the outside of peanuts. Packs a lot more punch than 43% might suggest.
Finish: Is warming and a tad alcoholic. Medium length, mainly leaves some fresh mintyness and peanuts on the palate then a little dry.
Rating: 86/100
Nose: Very fresh and clean as a whistle. Seems to be untainted by any wood influence at all. Banana, vanilla custard, lychee, soap flakes, peat. Invigorating.
Palate: Pepper as if it’s straight from the shaker into the malt. Earthy peat, banana over oats, toffee, some orange and lemon.
Finish: Is medium length, dominated by peppery spice, and underpinned by clean malt and lingering earthy peat.
Last Word: Very well crafted. A good one for displaying the difference between the taste of peat and smoke.
Rating: 87/100
You can definitely see the common lineage of this one and the Yoichi 10. The extra age here is apparent in both the focus and complexity of the whisky. There is an extra dollop of peat (sweet, earthy and a little vegetal) and a lovely smoky development. One of my top few daily drams.
Rating: 89/100
Nose: Sherry but not heavy. Rhubarb, vanilla, sweet tobacco, strawberry compote, oak, yeast, mint, pepper,
Palate: Glazed cherries, toffee, cinnamon, wholemeat dough, sweet glazes oranges, rhubarb.
Finish: Glazed cherry, rhubarb, toffee, oak. The flavours tend to clash more than gel. Last Word: Reminds me somewhat of Ichiro’s Malt for the Taster which has a similar issue. Not bad by any means, just something not quite right for my palate.
Rating: 81/100
Nose: Light but typically fresh Hakushu. Lime, Pine, wet moss/earth, tinned pears, salt, a little spearmint.
Palate: White pepper, lime, wet forest floor, almonds.
Finish: Lime, almonds, peach candies and some drying oak. A lightweight aperitif style. Last Word: Serious whisky fans would be better served saving for the 12 year old in my opinion.
Rating: 79/100
Nose: Tempura batter, teak, leather, toffee, potato skins, fresh baked biscuits, banana. Classy.
Palate: Honey over baked oats, creme brulee, silky oak, leather,banana, cola, tobacco leaf, nutmeg, nouget. Very smooth.
Finish: Honey, smooth oak, butter, cashews, tobacco leaf, cola, maples syrup, balanced.
Last Word: A lovely affordable Yamazaki, this bottle is emptying fast..
Rating: 86/100
Nose: Vanilla as expected. Oak, sawdust, pineapple, grapefruit, strawberries, menthol and quite a bit of pepper. Water strengthens the pineapple and grapefruit and adds mint.
Palate: Fairly aggressive attack. Hot spices, oak, toffee, strawberries, vanilla, some peat/smoke. Water enhances the sweeter elements.
Finish: Quite dry and oaky. Then a little pineapple, strawberries, peppermint, pepper, peat and coal/tar. Errs a little too far on the dry woody side. Water helps reduce this.
Rating: 85/100
Nose: Rich and deep. Old leather chairs, pipe tobacco, mixed herbs, tea, orange, soy/oyster sauce combo, beef stock cubes, pepper, marmelade, pineapple, apricots, chocolate, peat.
Palate: Rich and tangy. Palate smacking. Sweet spice and mixed herbs, old leather, pipe tobacco, marshmellows, marzipan, marmelade, strawberry jam, oak, bonfire smoke. Water brings out the tea, damp forests, pepper.
Finish: Medium length on the flavours from the palate plus some toffee then the trailing bonfire smoke.
Last Word: Love it!
Rating: 93/100
Nose: Mixed peel, ginger, plums, honey, oak, pears and apples, lemon over shellfish, salt, port, pepper, savoury shapes biscuits, pipe tobacco, leather, maple syrup and a little soy sauce.
Palate: Nutmeg, cinnamon, marshmellows, oak, maple syrup, cigar leaf, toffee, burnt orange jus, rhubarb, port, burnt twigs, raisins, currents, vanilla.
Finish: A fruity/dry combo on the flavors of the palate and a little smoke/peat/burnt twigs. Complex.
Rating: 91/100
Nose: Oak, stone fruits, pepper, brine, earthy/sweet peat, dried fruits, pine, butter menthols.
Palate: As per the nose with some big spices. Powerful yet balanced. Salt. Fruity, mixed nuts, with some strawberry sherbet, nougat and a slightly oily mouth feel.
Finish: Hot spices, sweet/earthy peat, dried fruits, menthol, smoke and some minerals.
Last Word: This is one of my favorite Japanase whiskies. It has fantastic balance and I’m a sucker for a malt with big spices. One of those rare whiskies that works as a daily dram and yet has that wow factor with every pour.
Rating: 91/100
Nose: Fairly subtle peat hangs over balanced oak, pine and varnish. Then, after a little time, that Japanese magic of lychees and cherry blossoms breaks the surface, followed by some cereal notes and earthiness. After about 20 mins, some brineyness becomes apparent.
Palate: Sweet peat comes through in a big way. A lovely spice hit of cinnamon/nutmeg/salt followed by a hint of Hubba-Bubba that I’ve found in few Japanese whiskies (particularly those from Yoichi). A little water brought out some chocolate.
Finish: Mainly on the palate with sweet peat, soft oak, and a sweet/hot spiciness dominating. Water brings out the chocolate.
Last Word: Not a peat monster by any stretch, but an extremely well balanced and complex whisky.
Rating: 87/100
Colour: Reddish brown
Nose: Sherry, oak, raisins and currants
Palate: Sherry, dark cherry, oak, dark chocolate, blood oranges, raisins, Christmas pudding.
Finish: Plums, nutmeg, lemon sherbet, mixed peel zing. Quite Aberlour A’bunadh like but smoother at a similar alcohol content.”
Score: 90/100 Tasted from a sample.(Photo is indicative)
Nose: Huge oak, huge stone fruits/stone fruit seeds, varnish, a hint of soapiness and some florals coming through with time. Then some nuttiness and smoked fish as the florals and oak get a little bigger. Sounds like it’s a bit all over the place but it’s a complex single cask and
I love them because of their individuality. The palate is massive, with giant hit of spice/salt infused oak and nuts. If it had had some of that lovely Yoichi peatiness in there somewhere it would have scored a point or 2 higher. The finish is long and warming and a little dry.
Rating: 91/100 points
Nose: Gentle and and fairly closed. Notes of pear, oregano, varnish or paint thinner, eucalyptus, pepper and salt. Okay it doesn’t sound closed but it’s a few days between whiskies and I’m picking up more than I would normally with this one. Palate: Smooth and soft, mainly malt and cream. Some nutmeg spice and a little pepper. Finish: Short, simple, a bit dry or dusty. Then, a mineral-like quality and bamboo shoots.
Last Word: This is a uncomplicated malt, easy to drink, nice enough, but lacks complexity.
Rating: 70/100
Nose: Honey, sherry, blood oranges, lime, a little bit of oak, a kind of burnt toffee smell, and something maritime, like seaweed.
Palate: It is biscuity, with some bitter chocolate, nuts, malt, toffee and smoke.
Finish: Mainly toffee, nuts, smoke and some lingering bitterness.
Last Word: I have to admit that on first opening I didn’t take much of a liking to this whisky and probably would have given it a score of around 73/100.It’s been open for around 7 months now and, while never going to be a world beater, it has improved quite a bit and scores. The smoke saves it.
Rating: 79/100
Nose: Smooth, quite heavy sherry. Oak, raisins, stone fruit (plums?), toffee, wood stain. What seems like a touch of peat or smoke.
Palate: Ripe stone fruit, Christmas cake, milk chocolate, raisins, wood stain and again that hint of smoke/burnt twigs/matches…. or something like that. Well balanced.
Finish: Spicy, raisins, plums, chocolate, mint. Warming on the chest and of medium length. A little dry.
Rating: 85/100
Nose: Sherry and toffee at first, then changes to an almost Bourbon-esque grain like quality. Licorice, pears, red apples, cinnamon doughnuts, yeast, match heads. Dry cement mix.
Palate: It first touches the palate with a certain lightness then there is a big explosion of peppery spices. Again, match heads, but balanced and not overly sulphurous. On the second sip, the sherry comes through with tons of mixed peel zing. The third sip offers some lemon and mint. On my fourth sip, I noticed there was a nice saltiness sizzling on the tip of the tongue.
Finish: A little dry and fairly short, with burnt toffee, match heads, mint chocolate, cinammon and pipe tobacco. After a few sips, there is a nutty creaminess that floats around the palate and lengthens the finish.
Rating: 87/100
This whisky is a vatting of Yoichi malt and an Islay whisky.
Nose: There is a good whiff of peat as well as walnuts, wet moss, leather, sea spray, pepper, wood stain (after breathing for a while) and nectarines. After some time, there is a hint of lemon.
Palate: Nicely oily (nut oil). The peat comes through big time. Also charcoal, pepper and a slight bitterness. The second sip adds walnuts, creamy macadamia and a kind of minted toffee to the picture.
Finish: Medium length with earthy/vegetal peat dominating; macadamia, spice and mint. Slightly drying.
Last Word: This is ever so moreish and a real bargain. One for lovers of peaty whisky.
Rating: 88/100
Nose: A dreamy mix of gentle oak, vanilla, cream, tropical fruits such as banana, papaya (paw paw) and guava.
Palate: Smooth and creamy mouth feel and basically follows the nose, with some white pepper spice thrown in.
Finish: Warming and of medium length. Spicy, oaky and herbaceous.
Last Word: I have loved this whisky from the moment I opened the bottle.This was great value at about 20 euros in Japan. Such a shame it was discontinued
Rating: 88/100