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.
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.
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.
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!
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 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.
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
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
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!
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!
A blend! It has been awhile since we sampled one (I think our Suntory Hibiki series was the last one) and we've sampled quite a few fancy blends before (Royal Salute series, Middleton, JW Blue Label). I also remember that the Ballentine's 17 year was also one of our first few reviews and we ranked it quite favourably. Now, let's see how it's 'younger brother' stacks up.
Comments: Scorched plastic was what we used to describe this. The nose was decent enough but the taste and finish was pretty and disappointing.
The Nectar D'Or is the updated version of the popular Sauternes finish by Glenmorangie. As you recall from our previous post on Glenmorangie's attempts at Wood Finish, we were not impressed. However, given that we are impartial to Sauternes (who isn't), we were quite excited to try this one out.
Comments: The fruity aroma hits the nose immediately and begs you to savour the dram. Apricots and citrus dominate the taste followed by strong hints of oak. A very delicious and easy after dinner drink indeed. We now know why this is selling very well for Glenmorangie.
Glendullan is a low profile distillery that is situated in Dufftown, probably the most famous whisky town in Speyside and self proclaimed 'Malt Whisky Capital of the World'. Another little known fact is that it is one of Diageo's biggest distilleries but is mainly used in blends such as Johnnie Walker. However, Diageo has started marketing Glendullan recently by introducing the it in the Singleton series which has won rave reviews from whisky experts. Let's find out how this 'original' bottle tastes.
Comments: This is a fruity, almost herbal and fairly well balanced malt. The taste is 'yummy' and easy to drink but the finish, like most standard 12 year offerings, could have been more substantial. Worth buying but doubt you'll find it as it may be replaced by the Singleton series already.
Comments: A floral bouquet of lilies takes you in when you take a whiff of this dram. An absolutely lovely whisky to sip in the afternoon over a book or with friends.
The Mortlach 16 was a random bottle that Lip had bought to add to the collection. Mortlach is a key component of Johnnie Walker (along with Talisker) so it was interesting to see whether it was a keeper or should we 'Keep Walking'.
Comments: Lightly peated with slight tangy sweetness on the tongue. Comments heard during the tasting were 'tastes like Chinese medicine' and 'herbal jelly'. This dram could possibly cure any ailment that you have! Overall very decent and fairly priced.
It's been awhile since we sampled an Irish whiskey simply because we didn't have any others in our stash apart from the Bushmill's and Middleton that have already been reviewed. As luck would have it, one of our friends TB brought over a bottle of Redbreast after realizing the deficit in our collection. Redbreast is one of the pure pot still whiskies from Ireland available in the market. This traditional method of distilling the whisky, which combines both malted and unmalted barley, gives the whiskey a unique and strong flavour.
Comments: Fresh and floral with a slight nutty edge. Very complex for a 12 year whisky and has interesting sherry/wine-like flavours. Have one in your collection at all times to show what the Irish are capable of producing.
