Tag Archives: Japanese whisky

Kanosuke New Born 18mths Bourbon Casks 57%abv

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Nose: Wild flowers, pollen, wood shavings, pepper, honey, vanilla. A medley of tropical fruits, dried mango, pineapple, passionfruit, banana. With water the wildflowers and passionfruit dominate.
Palate: Honey, sherbet, apple pie crust, vanilla, salt, wild flowers. Dried mango, oranges, ginger, banana. Dare I say smooth! With water the body fills out and there is more pepper, salt and ginger, also cloves.
Finish: Dried mango, dried pears, sawmill floor, a little clove, dried plantain. A little drier and herbaceous with water also vanilla wafers.
Last Word: Mind blowing stuff at this young age that already displays a really exotic edge. I rated the 8mth New Born highly and this one moves the goal posts forward again.

Rating: 88/100

Japanese Whisky Bar Report – Aloha Whisky Bar Tokyo

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Aloha Whisky

A newcomer to the Tokyo Whisky Bar scene, Aloha Whisky Bar in Ikebukuro opened it’s doors in September 2019.
The bar is owned and operated by the affable Mr David Tsujimoto, a native of Hawaii of Japanese decent. David has lived in Tokyo for the last 6 years and in that time has collected an extremely impressive range of whiskies. Around 600 bottlings in total and if that is not enough to wet your appetite, about 250 of these are Japanese Whiskies. That number of Japanese Whiskies propels Aloha Whisky Bar straight into the Major Leagues!

Aloha Whisky 2The majority of the other whiskies on offer are Scottish or Bourbons but there is also whisky from Canada, Ireland, Taiwan, Hawaii, Australia, Switzerland and China.
Other alcoholic beverages include Beer, Red and White Wine, Gin, and Cognac. David also has a passion for rums so if your interested in rums, ask David for a recommedation of one of the rums at the bar. We did and it was a suberb fruit bomb!
Starting prices for half shots of no age statement Japanese Single Malt Whiskies is Y500 and Single Cask Japanese Whiskies from the likes of Chichibu Y1500.
If you are new to whisky David offers a number of tasting flights from both Scotland and Japan. A tasting flight was the starting point for my own Japanese Whisky odyssey over 10 years ago.
As David is always on the lookout for new whisky expressions, you would be certain of an exciting experience even after multiple visits to Aloha Whisky Bar.
Aloha Whisky Bar is also a non smoking venue, a boon for anyone who actually wants to nose and taste whisky not just cigarette smoke all night. The bar seats around 10-12.
The bar is currently open every day except Tuesdays from 6PM-11:30PM. I always recommend before going to any bar that you check out their Facebook page for any updates to opening hours. Directions to the bar if arriving by train are pretty straight forward. Exit C3 of the Fukutoshin(F) area of Ikebukuro Station. If you can’t find C3 ask any station staff. When you exit C3 at street level the bar is directly across the road a few meters to the left. It is on level 3 accessed by a small elevator. Picture below includes the sign for Aloha Whisky Bar.
I cannot recommend Aloha Whisky Bar highly enough and it will be one of my regulars whenever I am in Tokyo.

Aloha Whisky 3

Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu for Shinanoya & Highlander Inn 2010 6YO Bourbon Barrel #710 61.3%abv

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Ichiros malt chichibu for shinanoya & highlander innNose: Initially acetone. Cinnamon and apple pie, fresh cut timber, pears, vanilla, With water there is a sweet bubblegum note. Not particularly complex but it’s fresh and lively.
Palate: Huge alcohol punch without water. For myself, needed a fair dash of water to open up. Then we have pickled ginger, fermented blueberries, tart apples, kiwi fruit, cranberries and butterscotch.
Finish: For a young whisky quite some cask influence. Apple sauce, leather satchels, kiwi fruit, tart red berries, black tea like tannins, pepper and butter menthols.
Last Word: Bit unruly and lacks in complexity but there is no doubt about the quality of the distillation.

Rating: 84/100

White Oak Akashi 5YO Bourbon Cask #1354 for Espoa 56%abv

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P1050446Nose: Fresh! I’d suspect 1st Fill Bourbon Cask. Wood shaving’s, apple sauce, bread dough, white pepper, rolling tobacco, pollen, lemon zest, green mango. Some bourbon like spice & hint of perfume a la Four Roses. Water doesn’t make a huge difference, maybe a winey note, stronger vanilla & florals/pollen.
Palate: Salt & pepper. Honey, vanilla, bee’s wax, green mango, fresh ginger, black currant jellies, lemon sherbet. Water ramps up the salt & hot spices. Medium bodied,
Finish: Bread dough, green mango, bee’s wax, vanilla, marzipan, almonds, wood shaving’s, clove, banana candies, fried onion. With water the warm spices ratchet up so much it numbs the palate then after a few minutes slowly fades to some peppermint. Good length.
Last Word: Probably the best bourbon cask Asashi I’ve tasted. Interesting & complex. A real surprise packet that I’d forgotten we owned and everyone in my Japanese Whisky group enjoyed.

Rating: 88/100

Japanese Whisky vs Scottish Whisky

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I’ve heard this or read about this very question many times over the last decade.
Sometimes it is related to distilling technique, sometimes as an historical time line and most often about the quality of the product.
When you strip the question to the bare bones it unfortunately ends up covering the spectrum of both simplistic to complex.
So….lets delve into a stripped back version Japanese Whisky one-o’-one.
Japanese Whisky is based on Scottish Whisky Distillery principles. Pot stills, malted barley(for single malts), grains(corn and or other grains) and usually double distilled(wash still and spirit still). The barley may be peated or unpeated and for the most part over the years is not sourced from Japan due to cost. Europe, mainly Germany and Australia in Asia(yes Aussie is considered part of Asia), have been two major sources or barley for Japanese Whisky production.
The pot still’s also for the most part, are built and shipped in from the UK for instance, Forsyth’s.
The water source as in Scottish whisky production is considered of paramount importance. The site for Japans first home grown whisky distillery Yamazaki was specifically chosen by the founder Shinkiro Tori because of the quality of the local water source. Yoichi distillery in the northen part of Japan was specifically chosen by it’s founder Masataka Taketsuru because the geographical area reminded him the most of Scotland where as a young chemist, he learned the art of whisky distilling.
So how did home grown Japanese Whisky Distilling begin?
One common theme I’ve heard is that Masataka Taketsuru the founder of Nikka was sent to Scotland at the behest of Shinjiro Tori(the founder of Suntory) to study the art of whisky distilling.
The two men did know each other but Taketsuru was dispatched to Scotland by his then employer Settsu Shuzo. On Taketsurus’ return, Settsu Shuzo, for want of a better word, no longer had the where with all to support a whisky distilling endeavour. Call it kismet, but the fledgling Suntory in need of a master distillery/distilery manager for the Yamazaki Distillery found the perfect person in the then unemployed Taketsuru.
Ok, I’m not going to bore you with a more detailed history as there are some differences between the Japanese ‘Big Two” whisky companies but historically it all leads back to Scotland.
So….we have all the fundamental ingredients in Japanese whisky as we do in Scotland, grain, water, pot still/s, oak barrels and at least for the legit Japanese whisky distilleries, cannot be labelled whisky until three years old.
A matter of respect! Anyone who has visited Japan will know that the Japanese when they take to any niche, they respect and embrace the cultures they eminated from to the nth degree. It could be Jazz music, Flamenco dancing, Silent Films or booze.
Did you know that Suntory spent a decade developing the blue rose? This wasn’t just for shit’s and giggles, but out of respect for Scottish whisky distilling history and the blue in the Scottish flag.
Now down to the brass tacks…….
There will be some cultural differences between Scottish and Japanese Whisky production philosophies which have nothing to do with a rivalry. The two biggest differences these days are cost and availability.
Availability: Scottish whisky is far more readily available in volume, number of distilleries and age statement bottling’s.
Cost: Scottish whisky is easily more affordable for the same quality and or, same age as the Japanese equivalent.
Both countries can produce whisky that is a silk purse or a sow’s ear!

Mars Single Cask Komagatake 2012 6YO Bourbon Cask # 1493 Heavily Peated 60%abv

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850_6876Nose: Mechanics workshop, Dettol, fermented pears, apple sauce, lemon cough mixture, lacquered teak, gun powder, licorice, pouch tobacco, tea leaves. Water added you get some white chocolate and white flowers.
Palate: Mechanics workshop, Turkish Delight, rhubarb, fermented pears, cocoa powder, licorice, apple sauce. Pepper, cloves, bay leaves, lemon sherbet. Water brings out some almond and orange zest.
Finish: Ash, pouch tobacco, lemon cough mixture, nutmeg, bay leaves, vanilla, lemon sherbet, white chocolate.
Last Word: A beauty from Mars. Despite the 50ppm of peat there’s a fresh liveliness. Not the type of whisky that uses heavily peating to hide a multitude of sins. Complex for the age and very well balanced.

Rating: 90/100

Mars Komagatake Yakushima Ageing 2019 58%abv

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850_6875Nose: Some similarities to the 2019 Double Cellars(similar casks types I’d guess). Nectarines, black plums, blackcurrants, cloves, plum sauce, cola, treacle, manuka honey, pepper, nutmeg, cola, dark chocolate cake icing.
Palate: Juicy fruits or blackcurrants, black plums, raisins. Salt, cloves, cacoa nibs, pepper, Arnott’s Savoury Shapes buscuits, ginger bread, pumpernickel, leather. Doesn’t change a lot with water, a little added nuttiness and grapefruit bitteress. Medium full bodied. Gets quite smoky the longer the bottle is open.
Finish: Ribena, pumpernickel, Brazil nuts, raisins. smoke.
Last Word: A satisfying fruity and spicey Mars Whisky.

Rating: 86/100

Mars Komagatake Double Cellars 2019 5YO Bourbon/AWO/Sherry Casks 47%abv

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850_6878Nose: Stone fruits such as nectarines and apricots. Old orange peels, cola, quite some pepper, some earthiness, old saddle bags, vanilla. sea spray. Water strengthens the vanilla and adds marmalade.
Palate: Oily mouth feel. Vanilla, mandarins, salt & pepper, brandy snaps. pineapple, banana, some oloroso nutiness, chilli flaked, medium bodied. Water makes this zestier and adds marzipan and nouget.
Finish: Oloroso sherry, peanut butter, pepper, peppermint, cloves. Water heightens the pepper.
Last Word: A solid effort from Mars with a nice change up with water added.

Rating: 85/100

Japanese Whisky News – Insanity Prevails as 8 Grand Worth of Ichiro’s Malt Card Series Sells for Almost 1 Million at Auction

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Ichiro's Malt Card Series

Once again proof positive that wealth and insanity are not mutually exclusive. A NOT full set of Ichiro’s Malt Card Series Whisky sold at yesterdays Bonham’s Auction in Hong Kong. Buyer paid US$917,000! To put this in perspective I would calculate the average price when these were sold retail and very slowly at the time, was about US$150 a bottle. A number of the first bottling’s were under 100 bucks a pop and the most expensive when released was the Monochrome Joker which I paid $AUD350 for. My simple maths is that if you bought the 54 bottling’s that sold at this auction when first released at average US$150 a bottle = US$8,100. If you think that average bottling price is inaccurate then you weren’t around at the time. I still have 8 of the bottling’s and sold another 5 so still have all the records of what I paid back in the day. I also used to have a link the Ichiro’s Venture Whisky website and you would be shocked to see how cheap these were when viewed in black and white.
Fact of the matter, the Hanyu distillery closed because no one was buying the stuff, though they certainly weren’t an island in that respect for Japanse Whisky. IMO the provenance of these bottling’s is only rarity. There are some excellent one’s and some average one’s, so it isn’t based on these all being stella tasting whiskies. Looking through Whiskybase the average bottle rating is about 88/100 which is still commendable but hardly commensurate with the price based on the juice alone. Only one bottling actually hit 91/100 and no Card Series Bottling is in the top 5 rated Hanyu on Whiskybase. Another thing is Ichiro san bottled these with Playing Card Labels as a marketing tactic. It was not based on these being the pick of the litter from the remaining casks. So, if these were not a set but just had regular labels, how much would they be worth. A shit load less I’d venture. I’ve tasted and own a number of other Hanyu that are the equal or better than some of the Card Series and although still expensive these day’s, nothing like the cost of a bottle from the Card Series. What price a simple label!!!.
If you wish to know what a true full set of 58 Ichiro’s Malt Card Series bottling’s constitutes it’s here.

Suntory sinks $56 mil into expanding whisky ageing warehouse

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So Suntory is expanding it’s facility at the Omi Aging Cellar in Shiga Prefecture so that it will be able to hold approximately an extra 40,000 barrels.
56 mil to only add storage for 40,000 barrels to Suntory’s current capacity of 1.52 million barrels.
Wow, did anyone crunch those numbers? 1400 hundred bucks worth of space for each barrel. If only we all had the readies to for such an indulgence!
Yes Suntory has aleady had 2 x expansions since the Japanese Whisky drought but 40,000 barrels ain’t going to help when I assume a lot of that juice will only go into blends such as Kakabin.

Mars Le Papillon 2013 6YO American White Oak Cask # 1698 58%

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P1050437Nose: Decking stain, vanilla, dusty old books, tart red berries, nectarines, peach skins. Toffee, tar, black tea. A few drops of water reveals a floral element and turns up the toffee and vanilla.
Palate: Tangy oranges, malt, vanilla cake, nutmeg, white peaches, grapefruit, fresh ginger, Brazil nuts, some oiliness to the mouth feel. Red peanut skins, salt, medium bodied. Water brings out some orange & banana cake and ups the ginger heat.
Finish: The tangy oranges, Brazil nuts, vanilla cake, orange cake, menthol, sesame oil, some drying oak and black tea tannins. Medium length.
Last Word: With some time open, this is a complex young whisky with a mix of sweet, bitter and spicy elements.

Rating: 88/100
You can also check out Whisky Richards review over an Nomunication

Mars Le Papillon 2015 4YO Sherry Butt # 5152 58%abv

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P1050438Nose: Sweet marsala, nutmeg, seared orange slices, toffee, an earthy note, candy coated nuts, BBQ sauce, plum sauce, Turkish Delight, some flintiness, tar. With water this is more earthy also, vanilla, hession, sea spray.
Palate: Sherry, cherries, ash, coal, tar, earthy peat, toffee, cashews, juicy dates, salt, pepper, oranges. Full bodied with a medium peating level. With water more tart, tangy and smokey.
Finish: Long on cherries, dates, toffee, ash, cashews, cacao nibs, cigar leaf, earthy peat. Water adds bonfire smoke and peppermint.
Last Word: Almost half the bottle has gone and I’m going to have to hind this one from myeslf. Great young whisky! Mars does not always get sherry cask matured whisky right but they’ve nailed it with this one!

Rating: 90/100

Japanese No Age Statement Whisky – The Reality!

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You all know the basic story! Japanese Whisky is in the duldrums in the early 2000’s or a bit earlier. The big two Japanese Whisky producers Suntory and Nikka(parent Asahi), ramp down production. After all, the big two do not survive on whisky alone so there is a safety net. Japanese Whisky from virtually out of nowhere gains traction in the West in around 2009 followed in the East a few years later. This actually parallel’s the international explosion of whisky(ey) as a beverage of choice worldwide. Think new money/burgeoning economies, India, China, South East Asia.
The gushing of some influential whisky bloggers(certainly not me), better accessabilty outside of Japan and a host of international awards and Japanese Whisky is the darling of the whisky/key scene. From zero to hero and all of a sudden demand far exceeds supply! Stock shortage enshews followed by panic stations!  Age statement after age statement bottling’s are dropped from the lineups, replaced by no age statement versions.
I’ll fast forward through the time line of each no age statement replacements and focus on some ‘spin’ from the distilleries.
This is the stuff I have read in articles and a couple recent books on Japanese Whisky. Whisky writer interviews Master Distiller. Master Distiller says if we do not have the ‘restrictions’ of an age statement, we have a larger canvas to paint with. Example, if the bottle is no age statement we can blend any whisky from 3 years old and up where before, if we had a 12 year age statement, we can only use 12 year old whisky and up. Fundamently I have no problem with the theory if……the no age statement bottling’s are as good as the age statment whiskie’s they have replaced and the cost is commensurate(if the average age is less).
Herien lies my issue. Almost without exception, the no age statment bottling’s are not as good as the age statement bottling’s they have replaced and on like for like pricing when the age statement bottling’s were standard, the age statement bottling’s were cheaper.
Some examples in Aussie dollars –
Hibiki Harmony NAS ave price $AUD150 – not sure what they are going for in Japan. Last tasted yesterday, my own 2019 bottle. 
Hibiki 17YO when a standard bottling $AUD135 – Y10,000 in Japan. Hibiki 21 Y20,000
There have been improvements  since the first NAS bottling’s were released but the NAS is still only 70% as good a whisky as the 17YO.
Yoichi NAS – $AUD125
Owned and opened 3 bottles and closer now to the Yoichi 10 but double or more the price of the Yoichi 10 when available. Last tasted July 2019, my own 2019 bottle.
Yoichi 10 when a standard bottling Y4500. Yoichi 12 Y6500. Yoichi 15 Y10,000. Yoichi 20 Y20,000.
Miyagiyo NAS – Ave price $AUD135. I’ve owned and opened a couple of bottles and tasted a 2019 and not a patch on the age statements. 2019 bottling tasted at WhiskyLive July 2019. Have my own(older) open bottle as well.
Age statements were the same price structure as Yoichi minus a 20YO which was never offered
Yamazaki NAS – In style it is pure Yamazaki and cracked a newly arrived bottle today. $AUD125.
12 year old is now $AUD250. NAS I’d say is better than half the price of the 12(these days’s) but again, 20% not as good when the 12 was at 75 bucks. Yamazaki 10 when a standard bottling Y5000, Yamazaki 12 Y7000, Yamazaki 18 Y20,000
Hakushu NAS – A big disappointment – Owned and drunk a few bottle’s and not a patch on the 12YO. Yes, there are the clean forest notes of the 12 but what happened to the peat and pepper? This was Japans Talisker 10 before it was emancipated. Last tasted June 2019, my own 2018 bottle.
Age statements were the same price structure as Yamazaki.
Nikka Taketusru NAS – This is the biggest improver for me. Latest bottling’s seems to have a bigger/older Sherry Cask influence. Still, AUD$125 for the NAS when back in the day even the 21YO was about 100 bucks!!!! Despite all that,  along with Nikka FTB this is my current Nikka of choice! Last tasted a week ago, my own 2019 bottle.
Taketsuru 12 when a standard bottling Y2500, Taketsuru 17 Y7000, Taketsuru 21 Y10,000
So there we have it, age statement Japanese Whiskies swapped out for no age statement whiskies and in almost every case, the no age statement versions are inferior and yet cost more.
Knowing what we know, the big two Japanese Whisky producers currently have no choice but to release no age statement whiskies. I can cop that but prices should be commensurate with having a lot of younger whiskies in the mix and the no age statement offering’s not being on par with even the youngest age statement offerings’s. If I was to put an empertical value on the no age statement bottling’s, they should be priced 30% less than the old age statment bottling’s!

Ichiro’s Malt & Grain Japanese Blended Whisky Limited Edition 2018 48%abv

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P1050436Palate: Fruit mince pie, plum sauce, currants, molasses, pumpernickel, sea spray, sherry, saddles bags, sweet pipe tobacco, cockles, caramel, vanilla, roses. Ever evolving!
Palate: Sherry, mixed nuts, orange juice, nutmeg, pepper, roses, peppermint, papaya, plum sauce, cherry cream filled chocolate, molasses, raisins.
Finish: Floral’s, macadamia’s, old leather, honey, marmalade, dried mango, peppermint, burnt eucalyptus.
Last Word: The ghosts of the flavors linger until the following day.

Rating: 92/100
*Note: A blend of Hanyu and Chicibu Single Malts and Kawasaki Single Grain Whisky.

Miyagikyo Moscatel Wood Finish No Age Statement 46%abv

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P1050430Nose: Red berries, plum juice, wood stain, strawberry jam, grapefruit, wood shavings, raisins, white pepper, some earthiness, dusty oak.
Palate: You notice the Moscatel Wood influence but it’s not overpowering. Red apples, toffee, cranberries, raisins, fermented strawberries, salt, vanilla, cinnamon. Quite viscous and oily.
Finish: Medium length. Balsamic mixed with olive oil, charred oak and cinnamon bark.
Last Word: Approachable and nicely balanced between sweet, bitter and savory elements. The Moscatel Wood finish is very well integrated.

Rating: 87/100

Nikka Taketsuru No Age Statement 2019 43%abv

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P1050429Nose: Red Grapes, quince paste, marmalade, sherry, blueberries, vanilla, toffee, balsamic, Bonox(beef stock paste), a little pepper and coal. I’d class it as velvety and satisfyingly rich.
Palate: Cocoa powder, chocolate mouse, coffee beans, sherry, vanilla, Brazil nuts, blueberries, salt, cloves, raisins, oily.
Finish: Sherry, Brazil nuts, cocoa powder, minerals, raisins, coal, cigar leaf.
Last Word: I spent around 30 minutes chatting at the Nikka stand at WhiskyLive last weekend. There were 6 expressions on offer and the general consensus seemed to be this was the pick of the litter. For myself this has either a lot of excellent young malt whiskies in the mix or, and I believe this is more the case, a large chunk of older whiskies in the mix especially from sherry casks. I bought a bottle straight away so that should be enough of an endorsement. A huge improvement over the my last bottle of no age statement Taketsuru, significantly better than the last bottle of Taketsuru 12 I had and in all honesty, if this quality remains I won’t need to lament the discontinuance of the 17 year old.

Rating: 87/100

Yamazaki SMWS 2003 11YO Bota Corta Cask 118.14 53.9%abv

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Yamazaki SMWS Bota Corta Cask 119.14 53.9%abv-2Nose: The darkest cherries, brandy, raspberry coulis, nutmeg, cinnamon, raisins, the ubiquitous Christmas Cake.
Palate: Blood oranges, raspberries, nutmeg, cocoa, Christmas Cake, Guinness Stout, tea tannin’s, sweet tobacco, peanut butter, red skinned peanuts.
Finish: Dry sherry, wood tannin’s, stout, cherries, raspberry conserve, nutmeg, sweet tobacco and lots of orange citric tang.
Last Word: Makes an impact at only 11 years old and very enjoyable at that! To think these were only around a couple of hundred bucks when first release! Heavy sigh!
*Taste at Bar Te – Airigh Chichibu.

Rating: 90/100

Akkeshi Foundations 3 New Born Mizunara Cask 2019 8-23Mths 55%abv

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P1050428Nose: Ah the scent of youth. Vegetal, yeast, smokeless mezcal, poached pears, oak, a musty note, lemon detergent. Tasted blind, everyone in my Japanese Whisky Club picked this as a very young whisky(new pot).
Palate: Follows the nose faithfully and but also some prickly spices and honey.
Finish: Yeast, honey, lemons, smokeless mezcal and some drying oak.
Last Word: Tastes young and lacks complexity. Mizunara oak has been elevated to a somewhat mythical status that is in reality out of proportion to it’s influence on the spirit. I would caution that expectations should be tempered. Any special qualities that this wood may impart are usually quite subtle. 8-10 years fully matured in Mizunara oak and bottled at cask strength may well be a different story as proven by a Mizunara Single Cask I tasted at the Chichibu Distillery.

Rating: 78/100

The Japanese Whisky Review – 500 Japanese Whiskies Tasted!

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So what does it take for the average self funded Japanese Whisky Aficionado to reach 500 Japanese Whiskies tasted? 10 years, being in the right place at the right time, spending time on the ground in Japan making contacts, unwavering enthusiasm and a whole lot of hard earned cash!
How hard was it? That is a story of 2 parts. The “Glory” days between May 2009 (the first time I visited Japan) and roughly 2014 and the leaner times after that of rocketing prices and limited availability.
Getting to 100 was relatively easy. 200 wasn’t that hard either. From memory even 300 wasn’t too bad. Beyond that it felt like hitting a brick wall and if your’e like me and just an average middle class Joe, you already know the reasons why. I won’t rehash here recent Japanese Whisky history and why prices are so high and stock levels/variety so limited, there are enough stories on the net using a simple Google search.
The majority of Japanese Whiskies I’ve tasted have been drinkable at the very least all the way up to stellar. There have been some total duds of coarse which is to be expected.
Favorite distillery style is from Yoichi and I admire Yamazaki and Chichibu for innovation and at least when you can get them, variety. Most often imbibed daily dram is Nikka From the Barrel.
Most underrated distillery in Miyagikyo and most overrated is Karuizawa. I’ve tasted about the same amount of bottling’s from Mars Whisky as I have Karuizawa and overall I’d choose Mars any day. I’ll throw in a number of Hanyu Card series as overrated at least for the price they command these days.
For those wondering if there will ever be a return to the “Glory” days of cheap prices, easy access and lots of variety I’m going to have to be the bearer of bad tiding’s. As long as supply exceeds demand no way! Not only that, even when the big players Suntory and Nikka bring a variety of age statement whiskies back on line they have repeatedly said they see their products as premium. This means they will continue to charge commensurate premium prices compared to say, Scottish whiskies of the same age and availability. I do look forward however to the 3 year old bottling’s that will be released in 2020 from the newer distilleries such as Akkeshi, Shizuoka, Kanosuke and Mars Tsunuki. 2020 will also be banner year for Chichibu who will release their first official 10 year old whisky.
Finally I’ll list 25 Japanese Whiskies that aren’t daily drams that I would always love to have a stash of. These are whiskies that left an immediate impression and haven’t failed since.
Hibiki 21
The Hakushu SM Aged 15 Years 500ml 56%
The Hakushu Single Malt Sherry Cask #9O 50021 1989 TWE 62%
Suntory Owners Cask Hakushu 2000-2011 #EL 41914 Smoky & Bitter 57%
Suntory Owners Cask Bar Hermit Private Stock Yamazaki 1996 Sherry Butt 13YO #AX70004 60%
The Cask of Yamazaki 1993 Heavily Peated #3Q70047 62%
Suntory Blended Whisky For The Peninsula Tokyo 2014 43% Sherry Casks of Yamazaki, Hakushu, Chita
Miyagikyo Single Cask 1996 16YO Sherry Cask 60% #118913
Taketsuru Pure Malt 35YO
Yoichi Single Cask 1994 18YO #400749 Warehouse 25 62%
Yoichi Single Cask 1988-2013 23YO Warehouse 25 #100212 62%
Yoichi Peaty and Salty 1989 12YO Single Cask #251224 63.3%abv
Yoichi 20
Karuizawa 1992 #6978 62.8%
Mars Moltage 3 and 25 28YO 46%
Mars Malt Gallery 1985 23YO #324 American White Oak 58%
Mars Komagatake Single Cask Vintage 1989 23YO 63.5% Cognac Limousin Cask #1060
Mars Komagatake　27 years old Sherry Casks / American White Oak Cask 46%
Kawasaki Single Grain Sherry Butt 1982 28YO # 7414 65.5%
Chichibu Mizunara Puncheon Cask # 89 2008-2017 58.2%
Ichiro’s Malt 8 of Clubs 1988 23YO #7100 57.5
Ichiro’s Malt The Game 2000 9YO 61.2%
Ichiro’s Malt SC for Takashimaya 1991 18YO 46.5%
The Single Malt Chichibu Golden Horse 12-year-old, Bottle # 0263 2008 56%
Ichiro’s Malt and Grain Kiyosato Field Ballet 26th Anniversary Bottling 48%abv

White Oak Akashi 10YO Old Sherry Butt Cask #105206 60%abv

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P1050403Nose: Maraschino cherries, incense, plums grilled on a Korean BBQ, brandy covered Christmas pudding. Oriental tea, coal fired copper, orangey bourbon, cream cherry, flinty.
Palate: Dark plums and cherries, grilled orange slices, coal fired copper, brandy, vanilla, blackcurrant jam, the flint, herbaceous oriental tea. Water adds more fruits but but of the candied type.
Finish: Leather, tobacco, coal fired copper, burnt orange, flint, sherry, brandy, mint cherry.
Last Word: 10 years in this particular cask seems about spot on. The overriding impression is something peculiarly oriental in nature.

Rating: 87/100