Nose: Lots of honey, toffee and vanilla notes. Sugared apple pie crust, some wood spice, rye spice, oranges, buttered popcorn, white pepper, cinnamon, overripe pineapple. I’d say fairly faithful to the Kirin House style.
Palate: Lots of spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, white pepper, chili flakes. Bubblegum, lemon detergent, orange cake, young white peaches, acetone.
Finish: Oranges, orange biscuits, lemon curd, banana, fresh thickened cream, acetone and or petrol fumes.
Last Word: On the palate and finish there is a persistent acetone/petrol fume note/flavor that spoils the overall experience. Apart for the nose, a bit of a disappointment really.
Rating: 79/100

Nose: Fresh cut timber, apricot, straw, pineapple, mustard, prune juice, passion fruit.
Palate: Passion fruit, strawberries, rye spice, nutmeg, salt, orange, pineapple, saw dust, balsamic. Light bodied.
Finish: Lots of chewy mints, passion fruit, pineapple, orange, timber.
Last Word: Has a number of typical elements found in many Kirin whiskies. Pineapple, passion fruit and Bourboneque is style. If your not a bourbon fan you probably won’t fancy this, but I like the fact that Kirin has it’s own house style at least in relation to other Japanese distilleries. This one although smooth and well made is not outstanding.

Rating: 84/100