Nose: Very similar to the 2002 but a little less rich. So, pineapple, walnuts, mashed banana, vanilla, teak, pipe tobacco, rye, sugared lemon and a touch of lavender.
Palate: Pineapple, passionfruit, lavender, walnuts, rye, vanilla, pine-lime splice(an Australian ice-cream).
Finish: Again shortish on pine-lime splice(pine-lime ice over a vanilla centre, though the lime is sweet).
Final Word: A very solid blend.
Rating: 85/100.
Nose: Pipe tobacco, camphor, aged leather, eucalyptus, sizzling butter, pink grapefruit, ripe apricots and peaches, roasted chestnuts, popcorn, a little minerally.
Palate: Chewy malt, hint of peat and smoke, blue curacao, pine, rhubarb, nutmeg, Hubba bubba, dried apricots, oak, molasses, bran, butter, strawberry yoghurt, marzipan, cocoa.
Finish: Long, balanced and outstanding, in my opinion
Final Word: Complex!
Rating: 92/100
Nose: Elegant yet very expressive. Plush and exotic. Ripe stone fruits, red berries, cinnamon, licorice, sweet orange, old leather chairs, ginger, tinned mango, cantaloupe (a first for me in a whisky), old cognac, faint hint of tar. I really don’t find any woodyness on the nose.
Palate: Sweet red grape/berries, vanilla, pipe tobacco, canteloupe, strawberry, creme caramel, glazed orange slices, old cognac and a little salt. Thirty-five years in oak barrels starts to make an impact, adding a drying element but it certainly isn’t much of a bother.
Finish: Not long but a lovely balance between fruit, wood, spice, leather and pipe tobacco. This is very different to the 3 others in the Taketsuru range. Some truelly exotic elements add to a wonderful whisky experience. Worth it just for the exquisite nose. Tasting was done from a sample.
Rating: 93/100
Nose: Quite gentle on sweet and peat. Toffee, figs, apples, butterscotch, vanilla, grilled cuttlefish, eggplant, touch of sherry and a hint of gunpowder.
Palate: Nutty, toffee, and a little coffee. Vanille, white plums, hint of peat.
Finish: Short with toffee, vanilla, marshmellows, peat/ash and a little bitterness.
Last Word: A bit light and easy going for my tastes. Nose is the highlight.
Rating: 82/100.
Nose: Lime, vanilla, coal, peanut shells, sawdust, toffee, sherry, fresh shellfish, pepper, pineapple, vanilla.
Palate: Salt, big sweet spices, peat, white plums, fresh shellfish, oak, bubblegum, lime, brazil nuts, pistachios.
Finish: Medium on peat/ash, bubblegum, white plums, toffee, pistachios, brazil nuts, mushrooms.
Last Word:What a difference a month open can make. Not a hint of peat at first. Now a lovely balance with the sweeter elements.
Rating: 90/100