Whiskylive Singapore Part 2: Hanyu The Game & Ichiro's 8 of Clubs

Who's got game?

Next, we had some fascinating whiskies from the Land of the Rising Sun. First up was a pair of Hanyus from Ichiro called The Game, one from a Mizunara cask (release #2) and the other from a Red Oak cask (release #3). These are special bottlings for Japanese spirits retailer Shinanoya and I believe almost impossible to find now. Those labels are absolutely gorgeous if anything else!

The Game 2nd Edition: Smells and tastes like a forest with fresh oak and grass dominating the palate initially followed by a vanilla sweetness and spicy, zesty lemon aftertaste. The Mizunara cask definitely adds an interesting dimension to this one.

The Game 3rd Edition: Herbacious with a little bite and peppery kick followed by a sweet minty finish. A very fine and elegant dram but if I had to pick, the Mizunara cask would be my choice.

 

A rare treat - 23 year Hanyu

To round off the Japanese whisky tasting, we tried a 3rd Hanyu which was the Ichiro's Malt 8 of clubs. This one is another exciting experiment by Ichiro to take an old Hanyu Hogshead cask and finishing it in an American Oak Puncheon.

Comments: An intriguing nose with vegemite, pepper and whiff of smoke. The taste is heavy on spice with hints of pine nuts and cocoa with a moderate slightly salty finish.

Tokyo Tastings: Joker, Mars and Ichiro

Back to Zoetrope, my favourite Japanese whisky bar in Tokyo. This time I wasn't rushing so had time to enjoy my whiskies and chat with Horigami-san, the owner, about his collection and his love for film. Will save the details of the conversation and get straight to the whisky!

This is no joke!

The first dram that I was keen on trying was the Ichiro's Malt Hanyu Joker, which is the final release from Ichiro's famous Card Series that sold out pretty quickly even though there were 3,690 bottles released. A shame he did not have the 1st release, which was a black and white Joker, to do a comparison but heaven knows how expensive it would have been.

Comments: Hint of nail varnish and mint on the nose followed by floral and cherry scents. The mouth is chewy with a mish mash of chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, peaches with a nice dallop of spice. The taste just keeps evolving in the mouth and it's hard to pin down an exact flavour profile. A very complex and unique dram in that regard. Truly an important piece of Japanese whisky history!

 Mars Attack!

Next up was an interesting pair of whiskies from Mars, which is from the Shinshu distillery located in the Nagano prefecture. Mars is probably the only Japanese distillery that does not export it's whisky so it's pretty rare to find it outside of Japan. I was quite excited to try 2 single casks, one sherry butt and the other American white oak, both aged 12 years and distilled in 1992, the year Shinshu stopped production before restarting again in 2011 focused on blended whiskies.

Mars Single Cask Sherry Butt #1124: Heavy sherry notes with pomegranate and a spicy, slightly oily finish. Not too bad!

Mars Single Cask American White Oak #1143: Vanilla, apricots and peaches are the variety of the day. Finish is again slightly spicy with a feinty finish. Quite yummy actually and I preferred this just slightly more than the sherry cask.

My eyes were probably bloodshot as well by then

For the last dram of the night I spotted a curious looking bottle with the Zoetrope label on it. A special edition Ichiro's Malt bottled for Zoetrope! This one is unique as it was finished in a rum cask. Why not give it a shot?

Comments: A little sharp on its own and really opened up with a few drops of water. Lemon zest and apples followed by a small wave of pepper and bittergourd. The finish is pretty long and you can taste hints of the rum cask which gives it a spicy and nutty kick at the end.

Tokyo Tastings: Ichiro's Malt Ace of Spades and Kawasaki 1981

Another day in Tokyo, another random bar stumbled upon. This time it's Zoetrope, a bar specialising in Japanese whisky and silent films! Another only in Tokyo experience. I was rushing to the airport to catch my flight so quickly scoured the menu and found 2 gems, an Ichiro's Malt Ace of Spades and Ichiro's Malt Kawasaki 1981. There were many other interesting whiskies to try on the menu so definitely will be back!

So this is the famous Ace of Spades worth a ridiculous US$10K according to this article. These Ichiro card series bottlings are getting increasingly rare and collectors are all over them like bees to honey. Think I'm pretty fortunate to have tried it because I probably had the last drop from the bottle.
There were 2 releases for this series and this was the 1st one I believe with an outturn of 122 bottles.

THE REVIEW

 

Comments: A very classy whisky. A wonderful citrus and earthy nose. The palate is sherried candy and becomes chocolatey with a long lingering spicy finish. Great balance with the oak and sherry! Not sure though if I could ever justify paying the price tag on this whisky right now.

Kawasaki just like Karuizawa is another closed distillery in Japan. The only difference is that Kawasaki is a single grain whisky (90% corn / 10% barley). Let's see what Ichiro-san's magic can do for the whisky.

THE REVIEW

 

Comments: Wow! Strong vanilla with layers of orange and dark chocolate permeate the tastebuds. Remarkably smooth for the alcohol strength and does not bite at all. Feels like a cross over of some of the great bourbons and rums that I've tried. Solid stuff! (P.S: Realised after that this whisky was a Malt Maniacs 2010 Gold Medal winner).

Ichiro's Malt Chichibu The First

Good whisky is meant to be shared. This one is no exception. At a BBQ no less. Presenting the legendary Ichiro Akuto's first whisky from the Chichibu distillery. For those of you who are not acquainted with Japanese whisky, Ichiro is the grandson of the founder of the now defunct Hanyu distillery and is carrying on the family tradition with some of the biggest cult whiskies in Japan (see details on the Card series here). This one is destined to be a collector's item one day...

THE REVIEW

Comments: You would've never guessed this was a 3 year old whisky with its level of complexity. The notes evoke caramel and honey and this follows through with thick layers of spice and citrus on the tongue. This goes on for a wee bit then ends abruptly. Good things, as they say must come to an end.

Tokyo tastings - Ichiro's Malt Single Cask, Balvenie from the 80s and The Spoon

Bar Keith named after the Glen Keith, the owner's favourite distillery

Tokyo always never ceases to amaze me with the infinite number of whisky bars that have fascinating collections. Went to Bar Keith in Shinjuku after doing whisky shopping in Shinanoya and had the fortune to try 3 sublime whiskies thanks to the owner Koji-san, who was extremely knowledgeable AND spoke decent English.

Interesting label for an Ichiro's Malt

First up was a hidden gem, an Ichiro's Malt Single Cask! Bottlings from the now defunct Hanyu distillery are really hard to come by these days. This is my first Ichiro's Malt review and hopefully many more to come from this cult whisky maker...

THE REVIEW

Comments: Bursting with fruits, citrus and plums come to mind, followed by hints of cinnamon and vanilla notes finished. Drops of water bring out the maltiness just a tad. Great whisky! If only I could get my hands on some.

Is this Balvenie masquerading as Cognac? 

I mentioned that Balvenie was one of my favourite distilleries and this was what showed up on the table, a 1980s bottling of a Balvenie 18! It must've been my lucky day as there was only 1 serving remaining in the bottle. I could see Koji-san holding back the tears as he poured the last drop from the bottle.

THE REVIEW

 

Comments: The distinct Balvenie cereal malt taste is more mellow and a fresh vanilla and oak finish hits you with hints of leather at the end. The water, barley and casks used must have been different back then. How the taste of Balvenie has evolved over the years.

Balvenie and Glenfiddich elope

Time for a nightcap and I was shown this interesting bottle called 'The Spoon' which is essentially a 23 year Balvenie single cask diluted with a teaspoon of Glenfiddich (in whisky circles Balvenie+teaspoon of Glenfiddich=Burnside). Apparently, this is done as stipulated by the distillery so the independent bottler cannot label the whisky they bought a single cask and dilute the parent distillery brand. Nonetheless, a 23 year Balvenie single cask is a 23 year Balvenie single cask, even if diluted with a drop of Glenfiddich. I was more intrigued by the cool label then anything else. On to the review...

 

Comments: Spice, honey and citrus tones with a medium long finish that is tannic and oaky at the same time. Quite enjoyable and a great way to end the night.