Nikka Pure Malt White

It's been awhile since we've tried a Nikka, the last being the very good Yoichi 12 year. Here is another interesting expression from Nikka called the Pure Malt White, which is a vatting of both Yoichi and Islay whisky. Love the clean bottles that they are presented in. Reminds me of science experiments in a laboratory while in school.

THE REVIEW

Comments: A very oily dram with an aftertaste of burning tires. Not our favourite Nikka to say the least.

Balvenie 14 year Golden Cask

Here's another whisky available only in duty free shops. Travel retail is a huge market for whisky and many brands are beginning to target shoppers with special these releases at airports. The Balvenie GoldenCask 14 Year Old was matured first in traditional oak whisky casks before spending a final period of maturation in casks previously containing golden Caribbean rum.

THE REVIEW

Comments: Sweet is the word to describe this dram. The rum cask really did its work here. Not your usual Balvenie and interesting to try once but perhaps not more.

Yamazaki 15 years

Here's a whisky we bought from the Yamazaki distillery that we've been meaning to try. Strangely enough, the usual 12, 18 and 25yr whiskies at the distillery shop were a lot more expensive than at duty free or in any decent whisky shop. The Yamazaki 15 years, something which is not commonly found on the mass market, was the only one that seemed more reasonably priced at ~US$100.

THE REVIEW

Comments: A very fruity Yamazaki with a burst of citrus that hits you upon initial contact. Hints of sherrywood linger in the aftertaste. A yummy whisky for a social gathering or for the happier moments in life!

Macallan 1824: Whisky Maker's Selection

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The Macallan 1824 collection is a family of 4 single malts (Select Oak, Whisky Maker's Selection, Estate Reserve and the rare Limited Release bottlings) to mark the founding year of the Macallan distillery.  Interestingly, these are marketed mainly for the duty free sector where they've been extremely successful.  Note that they also do not carry an age statement, which is quite unusual for a premium single malt.

The Whisky Maker's that we sampled was courtesy of our friend K, who bought it from duty free from his latest business trip.  Straight from the press release "Containing rare whisky distilled from barley grown on The Macallan’s Estate which brings a velvety mouthfeel, Whisky Maker’s Edition recognises the skill and dedication of The Macallan’s Whisky Maker, Bob Dalgarno."

THE REVIEW

Comments:  Has an intense nutty, chocolatey flavour blended with hints of mild fruity apricot and figs.  Interesting individually but somehow the flavours did not gel as well as it should overall.  The finish was also quite average for a whisky in its class.

Bakery Hill Double Wood

Australia? Not exactly the first country that comes to mind when it comes to whisky. Our next whisky is from Bakery Hill which is one of premier distilleries in Australia located in Victoria. Bakery Hill uses only the finest Australian barley and produces its all its whiskies in single cask, cask strength and double distilled in traditional whisky production methods. One other interesting fact is that Bakery Hill is aged for only 3 years in 50L or 100L bourbon casks, which accelerates the maturation process. Jim Murray himself was pleasantly surprised with the age statement of the whiskies and has rated them relatively high (Bakery Hill Classic Malt scored 85 out of 100) and described it as "easily the most stylish Australian malt I have found".

The whisky we are reviewing is the Bakery Hill Double Wood that is aged in both American Bourbon Oak Casks and French Oak Casks.

THE REVIEW

Comment: Floral, slightly citrus, wine and woody notes. Has a great nose but taste is average at best and finish disappears a tad too quickly. Overall a great attempt by Bakery Hill given that they are a young distillery. I have no doubt that in the future, this distillery will continue to improve and may one day churn out great whiskies that Australia will be proud of.

Highland Park 18 yr

Highland Park is one of the distilleries owned by Higland Distillers, which also owns the Macallan distillery. It is also one of the main constituents in the Famous Grouse blend, which we have yet to officially review. Highland Distillers has done a great job with its Macallan marketing machine and are now attempting to do the same with its Highland Park brand. It's called 'The Best Spirit in the World' on the website and the 18 year (older bottlings) is considered 'The greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whiskey' by Michael Jackson. Let's see how this dram scores objectively.

THE REVIEW

Comments: Maybe I'm getting bored with whiskies that have a winey (sherry) and slightly peaty flavour, a la Speysides (even though Highland Park is from the Isle of Orkney). Don't get me wrong. Overall, there's nothing really wrong with this whisky and it is very well rounded and easy to drink. Verdict - not exciting but definitely worth having in the cabinet

Hakushu 1995 Owner's Cask

Our whisky adventure in Japan didn't just end at the Yamazaki distillery. We decided one night in Osaka to try the B (Baccarat) Bar near our hotel which looked very stylish and cool. The ambience was dark and sensual and for some reason it reminded me of the movie Bladerunner.

Whisky tasting with Baccarat crystal

D ordered a cocktail of champagne mixed with dessert wine and juices. I, of course, scanned the menu for interesting whiskies to try. The one that caught my eye was a Hakushu 1995 Owner's Cask that was recommended by the bartender. Since the taste of Hakushu 12 year was fresh in my mind from the tasting at the distillery, I thought I'd give it a shot to see the understand the differences.

THE REVIEW

Comments: A very interesting dram with citrus overtones and a long lingering fruity finish. Slight showing of peat here but very unlike the regular Hakushu 12 year which has more pronounced smokiness. Another great whisky from Japan!

Yamazaki 1984

I was in Kyoto for the Sakura festival to see the Cherry Blossoms or Hanami as the Japanese call it. The sights and atmosphere was amazing and the food, as always in Japan, was absolutely fantastic. One of the main highlights of the vacation though was trip to the Yamazaki distillery, which is at the midway point between Osaka and Kyoto by JR Rail.

Yamazaki Distillery Store: In The Barrel

Barrel No. 0001 from 1924 when the distillery was founded

The distillery was beautiful and I was convinced after the tour that it was possibly the most modern and high tech distillery in the world (but my view is probably biased as this is my first ever distillery visit!) I'll not flood the post with more pictures of the distillery but all I can say is that you should definitely visit if you're ever in the area. Did I mention that you get a free whisky tasting at the end of the tour as well!

Whisky tasting of Yamazaki and Hakushu 12 yr with green tea or OJ?!

At the whisky store (In The Barrel), I was looking forward to finding a wide range of Yamazakis at decent prices. To my dismay, the selection was limited to the usual 12-25 year range and other Suntory products such as Hibiki and Hakushu. The crown jewel of the store was the Yamazaki 1984 but at 105,000Yen (~US$1,000) it was a tad bit overpriced in my opinion.

The Yamazaki Bar

Thankfully, there was a bar at the ground level where I could drown my sorrows. Browsing through the menu which had an extensive list of Scotch (Lagavulin, Macallan, Bowmore etc.), I spotted the Yamazaki 1984 which they sold by the glass at US$30. Doing some basic math (which was difficult given that I had 4 shots of whisky during the tasting about 10m before), I figured quickly that it was cheaper to drink the 1984 at the bar then to buy the bottle at the store.

THE REVIEW

Comments: A superb dram! The nose and the taste don't blow you away but the long, lingering fruit and crisp malt just took my breath away. I love how the whisky tastes really refined and elegant compared to Scotches of the same vintage. You can really appreciate the amount of thought they put into crafting the whisky. I'm sure it didn't hurt that they used Mizamaru Oak which imparted a sweet but not overpowering flavour. I am now officially a fan of Yamazaki. Kampei!