Nose: Classic Hanyu. Aromatic wood spices, fresh apricots and peaches, creamy oak, leather, buttered popcorn, almonds.
Palate: Smooth and creamy at 59%abv. Almonds, golden kiwi fruit, wood spices, coconut, pineapple, incense, orange sherbet, apricots, peaches.
Finish: Medium length and follows the palate closely.
Last Word: All class and totally moreish.
Rating: 91/100
Japanese Konara Oak Tree
The little White Oak Distillery has released it’s oldest expression yet. A 15 year old single malt that spent 12.5 years in Spanish Oak Sherry Casks then 2.5 years in Japanese Konara(Quercus Serrata) Oak Casks. Of course you are all familiar with Konara Oak aren’t you? Yeh thought not, me either. This is the first time that I know of, that this type of Japanese Oak Cask has been used to mature whisky. That fact alone makes this particular bottling a fascinating proposition.
Priced at Y10500 for a 500ml bottled and with an outrun of 795 bottles. I’m also glad to see that White Oak is sticking to it’s guns with their single cask releases and botting this one Non Chilled Filtered and No Artificial Coloring.
There seems to be a very small allocation for each of the retailers in Japan that stock this whisky, so if you see it and your keen on a bottle, they who hesitate most likely will miss out.
Nose: Smoked pork loin, orange peel, eucalyptus, seaweed, wood stain, fresh cut timber, linseed oil. Water adds an earthy element.
Palate: Fairly light. Candy all sorts, toffee, linseed oil, leather, walnuts, brazil nuts, menthol. Adding water neither adds or subtracts to my palate.
Finish: Short on brazil nuts, menthol, a little candy and leather.
Last Word: No discernible influence from its time in the Mizunara cask. The nose is the highlight.
Rating: 85/100
Nose: Bourbon barrel oak, aromatic woods(typical of Hanyu), caramel, peach candies, peach fuzz, sawdust and a little shoe polish.
Palate: Chocolate covered peach candies. A fair bit of oak, shoe polish, leather, tobacco, licorice and a bitter element. Water quells the bitterness somewhat and adds menthol, pine and nutmeg.
Finish: A little dry and bitter. Hints of guava, dragon fruit, bubblegum and pine. Water adds nutmeg, pine and ash.
Last Word: Not the most subtly nuanced of Hanyu’s. There is a bitter element that does not combine too well with the other flavors.
Rating: 85/100
Nose: Ginger bread, rye, mandarin, vanilla, dried fruits of mango, papaya and peaches. Tobacco, leather, oak. Luscious!
Palate: Big rye spices, ginger bread/ale, strawberries, big salt, cloves, dried stone fruits, licorice allsorts, pine, hint of smoke. Water adds cashews, fizzy sherbet and marzipan and makes the whole creamier.
Finish: Dried stone fruits, oak, fresh ginger, ginger ale, cloves, eucalyptus cough drops, a little tar and wisps of smoke.
Last Word: Only 120 bottles from 4 casks. The Angels got their share and luckily I got mine. A privilege to own but I’ve got to hide the rest of the bottle, a quarter down in a few days and I want more!!
Rating: 93/100
*Update 6/7/13 There is now a subtle exotic fruit note coming through on the palate reminiscent of Bowmore Bicentenary 1964. Hard to mistake as those ’64 Bowmore’s where quite unique.
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
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.
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