Nose: Orange peel, passion fruit, wood stain, vanilla, coal.
Palate: Ginger bread, licorice, orange peel, green grapes, walnuts, passion fruit. There is an unfortunate bitter element amongst all that. Smacks of a lot of spirit caramel.
Finish: Short on the flavors on the palate but the spirit caramel overwhelms.
Last Word: Fake Tan!

Rating: 71/100

Nose: Some Colgate mintiness. Chargrilled peppers, walnut, marmalade, freshly cut grass, putty, salt, citronella. Yeh, it’s a bit odd.
Palate: Softish delivery. Now the sherry influence starts to come through. Cherries, sultanas (ok, there’s the sherry bit), bananas, putty, brazil nut, black pepper.
Finish: Shortish and dry with putty, walnuts, sultanas and bananas.
Final Word:　This appears to be some sort of whisky liqueur. The ingredients say “malt, grain, sherry,” which indicates that this is not just a sherry butt matured whisky but that sherry itself was added. Odd. Perfectly fine to drink, but nothing special.
Rating: 75/100

Nose: Plasticine, cardboard, glue, oak, orange, candle wax, licorice… urinal cakes.
Palate: Quite bitter, with Plasticine, peanut shells, liquorice, oak. I hesitate to say urinal cakes again, as this might imply I’ve tried them, but this, I imagine, is what they might taste like.
Finish: Short and bitter with Plasticine, glue, orange and liquorice. The orange and licorice does not redeem this. Overall, the flavours don’t integrate well at all.
Last Word: This doesn’t taste or smell much like whisky, though the orange and liquorice may indicate some sort of Bourbon barrel influence. From nose to finish this is rather unpleasant. A complete misfire from Kirin.
Rating: 60/100

Nose: Bran, wheat, oats. Lemon and lime. New oak and potato skins.
Palate: Toffee and grain. Golden syrup on pancakes with a light squeeze of lemon.
Finish: Medium on golden syrup, oak, a little poppy seed and cinnamon.
Last Word: Solid blend in the Scottish style. Kirin blends have often used Scottish whisky in the mix.
Ratings: 78/100

Nose: Butterscotch, blanched pears, vanilla, creamed corn, oak, mixed herbs, shellfish.
Palate: Creamed corn, green apple skin, butterscotch, rye, red grapes, a tad soapy.

Finish: Short, green apple skins, red grapes, rye, butterscotch. Better than expected, the soapy element and short finish lets it down.

FInal Word: About $12 a bottle in Japan
Rating: 78/100

Nose: Crisp and light. Pineapple, light oak, tinned peaches, creamed corn, toffee, mashed banana.
Palate: Pineapple, ginger bread, walnuts, red grapes, rye, strawberry, a little white pepper.

Finish: Short on the flavours of the palate and some white grapes.

Last Word: No heavy hitter but none the less a well crafted blend that can be picked up for peanuts in Japan.
Rating: 80/100

Nose: Deep and rich. Heavy Pineapple, passionfruit, papaya, a sherry like quality, brazil nuts, walnuts, rye, pipe tobacco, white pepper.
Palate: Nicely tangy(fruit tingles), pineapple, walnut, passionfruit skins, pipe tobacco, cloves, kiwi fruit, papaya, hint of sweet yoghurt.

Finish: Short medium with nothing added from the palate. This is a premium blend only let down by the shortish finish and low abv.

Last Word: Would be a killer at 48%abv.
Rating: 87/100

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.