Nose: Sweet and sour sauce. Soy sauce, candied nuts, brine, lemon, peat, stone fruits, toffee, vanilla, teak, lightly medicinal, an earthy element. Not huge, but nicely balanced.
Palate: Toffee, candied nuts, marshmallows, sweet orange, pink grapefruit, light peat, pepper and ash. Water enhances the sweeter elements and adds some nougat and peppermint. Very nice indeed and good balance even at the full 63%.
Finish: Pretty much follows the palate and works with or without a little water.
Last Word:The type of dram that makes you want to pour another straight away.

Rating: 90/100
*Notes taken from a purchased sample.

Nose: Werther’s Originals. Rich summer stone fruits, light peat, minerals. Touch of sherry, varnish, light oak, autumn leaves, ham, sweet lemon, vanilla. Water adds some floral’s, earthiness and enhances the peat.
Palate: Very approachable even without water. A little oily. Figs, warm spices, raisins, light peat, smoked meat, minerals, marshmallows, ginger, salt, Werther’s Originals, coconut, fruit tingles. Water pushes the spices to the back palate and enhances the sweet elements, toffee/vanilla.
Finish: Minerals, toffee, marshmallows, warm spices, menthol, some ash/peat.
Last Word: Excellent! Love this one!

Rating: 92/100

Nose: Nectarines, peaches, apricots, mixed nuts, wine gums, a little peat, oak and pine.
Palate: Mouth coating. Mainly follows the nose but adds, some coal, smoke, salt, milk chocolate and peppery spice. Robust for ‘only’ 45% abv.
Finish: Short medium. Fruit and nuts a little smoke and a mineral element.
Last Word: Not as smoky as my previous bottle circa 2010/2011, which I preferred. Still a very solid whisky.

Rating: 88/100
*Update 24/02/2013. Down to the last quarter of the bottle and after 10 months the concentration of smoke and peat is starting to shine. Balanced with the sherry elements I’m adding another point to the score. 89/100 knocking on the door of 90.

A rich succulent nose of oak, sherry, nuts (walnuts), gentle spices and a hint of varnish. The spices crash on the palate like a tidal wave. This is coupled with beautiful clean malt, oak nut and sherry. The lip smacking spices and clean malt continue right to the finish. Never loses it composure.

Rating: 92/100

Nose: Salt(funnily enough) peat(mmmm), oak, peaches, bran, brine
Palate: Sweet and vegetal peat, sweet and bitter combo of vanilla and citrus, malt, sea spray.
Finish: Is of medium length, with a kind of citric peat, smoke, spice and cream.
Rating: 87/100

Nose: Immediately recognisable Yoichi OB nose of sherry, oak, malted honey, varnish and sweet peat.
Palate: Honey, golden syrup, oak, malt and sweet peat.
Finish: Malty, bran, quite dry and minty, vegetal peat. Very good length.
Rating: 83/100

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: Rich. Lovely toffee/caramel popcorn, Chicos Candies, malt, sweet apricots, white chocolate, marshmallows. Then, sweet tobacco and a hint of brine.
Palate: Creamy, chewy toffee, marshmallows, fruit tingles without the tingle. Some ashy dryness in the middle. Then, the white chocolate and sweet tobacco makes a return. Very smooth for 56 per cent.
Finish: Medium length, with a sweet/dry combo of the flavours of the palate. Very nice indeed.
Rating: 90/100

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