Yamazaki Peated Malt Spanish Oak Kogei Collection

Yamazaki Peated Malt Spanish Oak Kogei Collection

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Dark Amber gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, coffee, peat, smoke, tobacco leaf, raisins, toast, sea salt, walnut skins. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Sea salt, tyre rubber, coffee, roast chicken, raisins, tobacco leaf, walnut skins. 
Finish: Long. Raisins, chocolate, coffee, walnut skins, smoke. 

Comments: 

This was pricey, but it’s got the bitter sweet, fragrant, meaty notes that I like in Yamazaki. This is supposed to be fairly young, but it reminds me of some of the older Yamazakis I’ve had.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Suntory Pure Malt Whisky “Yamazaki” 1983

Suntory Pure Malt Whisky “Yamazaki” 1983

Official bottling 
Single malt - West Honshu
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Roast chicken, sea salt, honey, raisins, cinder toffee, hints of nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Raisins, roast chicken, honey, raisins, milk chocolate, cocoa nibs, hints of sea salt. 
Finish: Medium. Milk chocolate, roast chicken, honey, cocoa nibs. 

Comments: 

This is the first (or one of the very first) Yamazaki single malts bottled, way back in 1983. It’s surprisingly savoury, and I’ve always believed that Yamazaki has a savoury note until it’s gets buried under all that sherry. I feel vindicated :).

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Yamazaki Spanish Oak 2022 Edition

Yamazaki Spanish Oak 2022 Edition

Official bottling 
Single malt - West Honshu
Mahogany red
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, nutmeg, raisins, dark chocolate, vanilla, orange peel, hints of toast. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Black tea, raisins, cocoa nibs, dark chocolate, coffee, nutmeg, cinnamon, hints of black pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, black pepper, coffee, dark chocolate. 

Comments: 

The first Yamazaki I’ve tasted in 7 years, a function of the insane prices and the rarity of the whisky itself. Lots of winey sweet notes, highly sherried whisky. Clean, well-defined and complex flavour notes, with a nice bitter finish. Excellent stuff. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve

Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Dark gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, oak, cream, leather, red grapes, hints of musk. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, spreads out, slightly watery around the edges. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Red grapes, black tea, butter, raisins, hints of butterscotch. 
Finish: Medium. Raisins, black tea, butter, oats. 

Comments: 

A new (at least for me) NAS expression from Yamazaki. Rather fatty and buttery, something I don't often find. Possibly over-sherried as well, with the sweet grapeyness masking a lack of complexity. Lots of raisins, butter, black tea... and not much else. Unfortunately.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Yamazaki Puncheon 2013

Yamazaki Puncheon 2013

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Copper gold
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, honey, vanilla, lemon zest, apples, palm sugar, hints of peaches.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, syrupy, mouth coating.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Malted grains, honey, vanilla, apples, lemon zest, palm sugar, hints of chocolate, hints of orange peel.
Finish: Long. Apples, chocolate, malted grains, honey.

Comments:

Hmm. One of the more appley Yamazakis. Apparently speed-aged in a puncheon (a smaller cask) and I think it shows. The whisky is very mild, with the fruity notes quite faint and difficult to discern. Nice notes of vanilla and palm sugar, but there is precious little complexity. Needs to spend more time in the cask, although fairly refreshing.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013

Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Dark toffee
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, chestnuts, lemon zest, sandalwood, pine needles, honey, hints of roses.
Mouthfeel: Light body, airy, slightly fizzy, tingly.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Lemon zest, red grapes, cream, honey, chestnuts, liquorice, hints of soy sauce.
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, soor plooms, honey, liquorice, soy sauce.

Comments:

OK, so what does the 'Best Whisky in the World 2015' taste like? Well, nothing like the best whisky in the world. It's overhyped, but it's a very nice dram indeed. It's not Yamazaki's fault if some bloke bigs up their whisky. It's an unusual sherried whisky, in that the winey, grapey notes are not so apparent, and definitely not overpowering. There is a good deal of salty, even tart notes, and the finish is great - liquoricey, tart, very strong. Excellent stuff.

Thanks to WhiskySanta and Master of Malt for the chance to try this great whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Yamazaki Mizunara 2013

Yamazaki Mizunara 2013

Official bottling 
Single malt - West Honshu
Amber
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Plums, orange crush, chocolate, vanilla, cedar, sandalwood, strawberries. With water, spicier, cedar, sandalwood, hints of black pepper.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, turns watery, slippery, mouth coating.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Cedar, sandalwood, orange crush, vanilla, milk chocolate, plums, hints of strawberries. With water, sweeter, sandalwood, apricots, black pepper.
Finish: Short.Vanilla, orange crush, plums, pears. With water, strawberries, sandalwood.

Comments:

I went on a fool's errand looking for a Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013, but that was long gone. This one was a decent substitute. Brewed beer and orange crush, very unlike the 'usual' Yamazaki, whatever that means - less meaty, less savoury. Mizunara wood imparts a delicious finish.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel

Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel 

Official bottling 
Single malt - West Honshu
Pale gold
48.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, soy sauce, honey, lemon zest, strawberries. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, creamy, loose. 
Tasting: Sweet. Cream, honey, butterscotch, lemon zest, chocolate. 
Finish: Long. Strawberries, chocolate, honey, hints of soy sauce. 

Comments: 

Hmmm... this was a surprise. Really creamy and full bodied, yet light and loose. Nice sweet fruity flavours, which, over time, developed into really strong chocolatey notes. Very, very delicious indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 119.12 (Yamazaki 16 yo 1992/2009)

SMWS 119.12 (Yamazaki 16 yo 1992/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - West Honshu
Amber
54% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, caramel, rum, burnt rubber, brown paper, cedar, quince jelly, hints of fish sauce.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, astringent, thick.
Tasting: Sweet. Raisins, rum, brown paper, roast pork, chillies, quince jelly, hints of fish sauce.
Finish: Long. Sweet, palm sugar, chillies.

Comments:

Many thanks to Jonathan and Darren for this sample. Matured in 3rd fill (?) sherry butt made from Japanese oak - a very unusual maturation that I've never seen before. The batch of bottles was released in Japan only, but the SMWS London venue got a few. Heavy and sweet, but still savoury like most Yamazakis, the whisky nevertheless tastes distinctly like rum - not like rum-cask matured whisky, but like rum!

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Yamazaki Distillery

Yamazaki Distillery
5-2-1 Yamazaki
Shimamoto-cho, Mishima-gun
Osaka
Japan

West Honshu, Japan - Active

Flavour profile

Yamazaki whisky is rich, thick, and usually brings together very different flavour elements. The distillery can produce spirit of markedly different styles from its 12 stills, and this diversity of flavours is reflected in the Wordle below. Even so, there are some characteristics that can be picked out quite easily - raisins and peat predominate, followed by sweet-savoury notes of orange peel, roast pork, ginger, palm sugar and... burnt rubber?

The last, chemical, slightly harsh flavour actually represents a family of tastes that are quite subtle, but present in Yamazaki whisky (at least the 4 I have written tasting notes on). These flavours are represented in the Wordle by pepper, ginseng, cayenne pepper, bitter melon and fish sauce - bitter, savoury flavours. I do feel that every time I taste a Yamazaki (even one I have tasted before) I find a new and unusual flavour to add to the list. Yamazaki whisky is complex, subtle, and unusual. Oh yes, and delicious too.


All the Yamazakis I've tasted so far are here.

SMWS 119.10 -very good
Yamazaki 10 yo - good
Yamazaki 18 yo - very good
Yamazaki 12 yo - good

Distillery history

The distillery is the first whisky distillery to be established in Japan. It was established in 1923 by Shinjiro Torii, a wine maker, as part of Torii Shoten, a canned goods and liquor business founded in 1899 that would eventually become Suntory. The distillery has 12 stills (6 linked pairs) of different shapes, and can produce several different styles of spirit.

Yamazaki single malt first became available in 1984. There are fairly widely available official bottlings available aged 10, 12, 18 and 25 years old. In addition there are the rare 25 and 30 year old official bottlings, and a number of vintage, specially aged expressions. Independently bottled Yamazaki isn't common, but does exist.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Rikyu-no-Mizu, natural spring near the distillery on Mount Tennozan
Washbacks: Douglas fir and stainless steel
Wash stills: Six, differently shaped.
Spirit stills: Six, differently shaped.
Spirit still Lyne arm: Pair 1 - slanted sharply downward
Production per year: approximately 3,500,000 litres

- courtesy of Google, compiled by Red Hare late at night

SMWS 119.10 (Yamazaki 19 yo 1989/2009)

SMWS 119.10 (Yamazaki 19 yo 1989/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - West Honshu
Dirty brown
62.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, palm sugar, cocoa, caramel, burnt rubber, rum, orange peel, hints of wood smoke, hints of roast pork.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, astringent, volatile.
Tasting: Sweet. Raisins, burnt rubber, orange peel, dark chocolate, roast pork, caramel, palm sugar.
Finish: Long. Palm sugar, cocoa, wood smoke, burnt rubber.

Comments:

Mmmm. Lovely sherried Yamazaki, tastes old but really isn't. I wonder where this one aged. Anyway, it's sweet with a chemical undercurrent, and a savoury meatiness that's almost textural. Very good indeed, as good as the official 18 yo that won so many awards. I might get a bottle of this.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Yamazaki 10 yo

Yamazaki 10 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Orange gold
40% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Ginger, pineapples, raisins, malty beer, papaya, hints of clove, hints of peat.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, dry, slightly astringent.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Orange juice, pineapple, raisins, cloves, hints of ginger, hints of peat.
Finish: Long. Slightly peaty, orange juice, coconut, ginger.

Comments:

Impressively spiced, with nice fruity notes. Very pleasant indeed. Could be more robust, but this is very decent for a 40% ABV whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Yamazaki 18 yo

Yamazaki 18 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, raisins, orange peel, custard, cloves, marmalade, grilled pork.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, expands in the mouth.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Peat, orange peel, walnuts, sherry, raisins, bitter melon, black pepper.
Finish: Long. Oranges, bitter melon, peat, ginseng.

Comments:

Voted best whisky in the world in 2008. Even at low strength the spiciness comes through, and there's excellent variety - I almost wrote down coriander seed and cardamom, but realised that they were ghost notes, not even hints. It's not that easy to describe this whisky. Excellent char siu in the nose, reminiscent of five spice powder perhaps?

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Yamazaki 12 yo

Yamazaki 12 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - East Honshu
Golden
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Brassy, lemons, malty beer, toffee, vanilla, hints of quince jelly, hints of ammonia.
Mouthfeel:Medium body, thickens slightly, fizzy.
Tasting: Salty sour. White pepper, cayenne pepper, guava, lemons, hints of fish sauce, hints of vanilla.
Finish: Short. Tingly, lemon thyme, grape skin.

Comments:

Strange whiskey. The nose bears little relation to the taste, except for some lemon and the barest hint of vanilla. Quite spicy too, with strange tingles in the mouth and the finish. Intriguing. Not as good as I thought it might be, since the 18 yo brother of this was voted World Whisky of the Year by Whisky Magazine, but tasty enough.

Verdict:

I like this.