Halloween Whisky - Glenfiddich 30 Year & Yamazaki 25 Year

Had the pleasure of going to a friend's place for a pre-Halloween dinner and unexpectedly, some seriously fine whisky. 

The first whisky we savoured was the Glenfiddich 30. I've always liked Glenfiddichs and the opportunity to taste on of their top end drams was definitely a treat. This one recently won the Gold Medal at the International Spirits Challenge in 2013.

Comments: Overall a superb whisky that goes down very well and suits all palates. Great balance overall with blends of citrus fruit, honey and vanilla overtones for a mellow, distinct flavour.

A Glenfiddich 30yr would typically be the highlight of any good night out...until an even rarer Yamazaki 25yr gets pulled out of the cabinet. This is the World Whisky Awards 2012 winner of Best Single Malt and is practically sold out everywhere.

Comments: Talk about intense. Chocolate? Coffee? Sherry? Surprisingly flavourful and deep for a 43% whisky. And the finish just goes on and on...lovely stuff.

Christmas with Hibiki 30 Years and Glengassaugh 1972

It's Christmas time and what better way to celebrate it than to have great whisky. We were having dinner with family and friends at an Italian restaurant and we had brought a Hibiki 30 years to savour at the end of the meal.

THE REVIEW

 

Comments: Wow! What an amazing whisky. If you think the 21 year is good, this one adds another layer of complexity with a fantastic nose filled with vanilla and luscious berries. This is such an easy and delicious drink to quaff that the bottle will be gone in no time. Only for special occasions.

We offered the restaurant owner a dram of the Hibiki and being a self professed whisky lover, he was subtly impressed. Not to be outdone, he was kind enough to let us try his personal bottle of Glengassaugh 1972 which had his name inscribed on it as a gift from a friend!

THE REVIEW

Comments: A really different whisky compared to the Hibiki, this dram is oozing with blackcurrants, apricots with peppery spice and strong sherry elements. It has an unbelievably long finish that never seems to end, surpassing even the Hibiki. In the owner's words, 'this tastes more like a fine cognac than a whisky'. 

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!

Yamazaki 12 Year

We're trying to beef up our Japanese whisky collection (and posts) to reflect the growing popularity of drams from the Rising Sun. Unfortunately, Japanese whiskies are pretty hard to find outside of the country which is why they are not very well reviewed generally. Anyhow, let's continue with the basic Suntory Yamazaki 12 year which is fairly easy to find in most bars and shops worldwide.

THE REVIEW

Comments: Maybe we're biased towards Japanese whiskies but this was a very good and easy to drink. It mimics a typical Scotch but with the touch of Japanese refinement. Keep one for your everyday collection!

For Relaxing Times, Make it Suntory Time

Japan is the baby and nascent darling in the world of whisky. Ever since Masataka Taketsuru visited Scotland in the 1920s and brought home the knowledge of distilling whisky, his work gave birth to what is widely regarded as the new whisky superpower alongside Scotland and Ireland. To read more about Japanese whiskies, go to the wikipedia link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_whisky

I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce a very interesting and candid Japanese Whisky blog that we've been reading:

http://nonjatta.blogspot.com

Nonjatta is probably the most comprehensive Japanese Whisky resource on the Internet (in English which helps). I especially love the Mizuwari Deathmatch Championship that he has going on. To find out more, check out his site. :)

Billboard from the movie 'Lost in Translation'

For those of you who watched 'Lost in Translation', I'm sure you get quote reference in the title of this post. Tonight, we are going to sample the Suntory Hibiki 17 and 21 year bottlings. Here are the results.

The Review


Taste Profile



The Scoring

Suntory 17 Year Old HibikiStrong peach and oak notes especially on the nose. A soothing dram that is easy to drink but ends up just a little short on the finish.

Suntory 21 Year Old HibikiEven fruitier and more floral than it's 17 year old sibling, this bottling just delivers on all aspects. Very clean. Very good. Highly recommended.

This man knows his whisky