Yoichi Aromatic Yeast 2022

Yoichi Aromatic Yeast 2022

Official bottling
Single malt - Hokkaido
Pale gold
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honeydew melons, papayas, cream, white grapes, bubble gum, hints of mint, hints of bananas. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, slippery, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, bubble gum, wheat beer, white grapes, gooseberries, lemon curd, toast, hints of smoke. 
Finish: Long. Papayas, honeydew melons, wheat beer, malted grains, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Fruity and slightly lactic on the nose, this dram turns malty on the tongue. Lots of sweet notes abound, with a whisper of smoke in the mouth as well as on the finish. Quite lovely.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Yoichi Apple Brandy Wood Finish

Yoichi Apple Brandy Wood Finish

Official bottling 
Single malt - Hokkaido
Bright gold
47% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Soy sauce, leather, apples, lemon zest, sea salt, white pepper, hints of sultanas. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, astringent, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Apples, malted grains, white pepper, honey, sultanas, black tea, fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Long. Soy sauce, leather, cooked rice, sultanas, hints of tomatoes. 

Comments: 

Complex and savoury, this whisky is a text book example on how to finish whisky well. The finish has to match and complement the distillate characteristics. The sweet apple notes offset the savoury, slightly smoky whisky perfectly.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Yoichi Single Malt Non Peated 2021

Yoichi Single Malt Non Peated 2021

Official bottling 
Single malt - Hokkaido
Chinese tea
47% ABV
Dram

Nose: Green apples, orange juice, white grapes, green tea, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Orange juice, green tea, fresh baked bread, vanilla, white grapes, ginseng, hints of blueberries. 
Finish: Medium. Coffee, dark chocolate, fresh baked bread, green apples. 

Comments: 

Quite a fruity tannic Yoichi, with a number of bitter elements - ginseng, coffee and dark chocolate are prominent. There’s some cereally bite as well, which makes for an interesting dram. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Yoichi Sherry Wood Finish (2018)

Yoichi Sherry Wood Finish (2018)

Official bottling
Single malt - Hokkaido
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, leather, honey, brown paper, cardboard, molasses, hints of burning leaves. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slippery, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Molasses, burnt sugar, honey, red grapes, leather, oolong tea, cedar, hints of cucumber. 
Finish: Medium. Oolong tea, molasses, red grapes, cedar. 

Comments: 

This is perhaps 'classic' Yoichi. It's sweet, slightly smoky, with some vegetal or herbal notes. There's perhaps a tad more smoke than the old age statement expressions. A familiar, and comforting dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Yoichi Bourbon Wood Finish (2018)

Yoichi Bourbon Wood Finish (2018)

Official bottling
Single malt - Hokkaido
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, peanuts, honey, cola nuts, coffee, peach jam. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, mouth coating, slightly oily, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Peanuts, vanilla, butterscotch, malted grains, toast, chocolate, hints of peach jam, hints of smoke. 
Finish: Medium. Mint, chocolate, honey, hints of raisins. 

Comments: 

Lovely notes of peach jam, but wreathed through with gentle smoke, so gentle it's almost like a piece of toast left a little too long in the toaster. Lots of other sweet notes, leading to a cool, slightly herbal finish. Very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

Yoichi Rum Wood Finish (2017)

Yoichi Rum Wood Finish (2017)

Official bottling
Single malt - Hokkaido
Amber gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, orange peel, honey, cedar, hints of coffee, hints of toast. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, sticky, astringent, warm. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Cedar, orange peel, vanilla, toast, coffee, ginseng. 
Finish: Medium. Toast, ginseng, orange peel, coffee. 

Comments: 

There's not a lot of rum flavour in this whisky, the toasty, smoky notes predominate instead. There's heaps of bitter notes, in what is normally quite a sweet whisky, with ginseng, coffee, and fragrant woody cedar covering up some faint esters at the back of the mouth.

Verdict:

I like this.

Yoichi Woody and Vanillic

Yoichi Woody and Vanillic

Official bottling
Single malt - Hokkaido
Amber red
55% ABV
Dram

Nose: Black tea, honey, strawberries, bananas, raisins, orange juice, cream. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, static, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Black tea blackcurrants, bananas, orange juice, hints of desiccated coconut. 
Finish: Long. Blackcurrants, coconut milk, orange juice, honey, raisins. 

Comments: 

Another bottle not normally available in the UK. I'm so lucky to be able to taste this. Amazingly silky smooth, huge hits of tannic blackcurrants, fruit and bananas. If I didn't know better I'd say it was an out of this world bourbon... but no, it's a sherry bomb from the Far East.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Nikka Yoichi Single Malt

Nikka Yoichi Single Malt

Official bottling
Single malt - Hokkaido 
Golden
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, raisins, bitter gourd, coffee, hints of sandalwood. 
Mouthfeel: light body, loose, turns watery, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Chocolate, custard, coffee, raisins, hints of fried eggs, hints of bitter gourd . 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, sandalwood, coffee, hints of fried eggs. 

Comments: 

My first taste of the new Japanese single malts since they ran out of the aged stock. It's different, more robust and bitter than the previous iterations of Yoichi, with a pleasing egginess, almost rubberiness, alongside fragrant bitter notes.

Verdict:

I like this.

Yoichi 12 yo

Yoichi 12 yo

Official bottling 
Single malt - Hokkaido
Golden
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, leather, shortbread, cookie dough, milk, cream, hints of raisins.
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, watery, loose.
Tasting: Bitter salty. Vanilla, leather, smoke, cookie dough, milk, cream, raisins, fresh baked bread.
Finish: Short. Sweet, raisins, leather, smoke, milk.

Comments:

Sweet, fragrant, even milky - but smoky too. And it's only sweet on the nose. On the tongue, it's really quite different. A hard whisky to appreciate, can't say I liked this very much. Unlike the usual Yoichis.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Yoichi 10 yo

Yoichi 10 yo

Official bottling 
Single malt - Hokkaido
Amber
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, malted grain, grapes, apples, tobacco leaf . 
Mouthfeel: Light body, smooth, watery. 
Tasting: Bitter sour. Vanilla, malted grain, apples, tobacco leaf, chillies, grass, hints of hay. 
Finish:  Long. Tobacco leaf, vanilla, chillies, grass. 

Comments: 

Long finish, with huge grassy and vegetal notes, and a surprisingly bitter aftertaste. Quite fragrant as well. Complex, quite delicate, good value for money.

Verdict:

I like this.

Nikka Yoichi Single Cask 1987/2009

Nikka Yoichi Single Cask 1987/2009

Official bottling
Single malt - Hokkaido
Amber red
58% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cedar, tarragon, orange juice, red grapes, mushrooms, chillies, honey, peat.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loose, watery, smooth.
Tasting: Sweet. Cedar, tarragon, orange peel, chillies, honey, red grapes, raisins, brown paper.
Finish: Long. Oranges, chillies, raisins.

Comments:

The barman at the Curio Parlour's Nikka Whisky Bar mentioned that this was the only bottle in Europe. I feel privileged! Unusual fungal and spice notes in the nose, quickly followed by familiar honey and red grapes. The cedar and tarragon last into the tasting, but then disappear. Excellent whisky, absolutely delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Yoichi 20 yo

Yoichi 20 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Hokkaido
Amber
52% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, red grapes, peat, orange peel, strawberries, toffee, raspberries, peanuts, honey, hints of smoke.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, slippery, loose.
Tasting: Sweet. Strawberries, red grapes, raspberries, peanuts, leather, vanilla, honey, brown paper, hints of peach.
Finish: Long. Chillies, leather, honey, strawberries.

Comments:

Like burgundy, smooth, round and light - on first nosing and tasting at least. After a while, the caramel, toffee and peanut notes begin to predominate, bringing to mind caramel peanuts at a fairground. Delicious

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 116.13 (Yoichi 23 yo 1985/2008)

SMWS 116.13 (Yoichi 23 yo 1985/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Hokkaido
Dark gold
51.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, smoke, peat, soy sauce, bacon, hints of spiced apple, hints of butter.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, smooth.
Tasting: Bitter. Oranges, smoke, peat, peaches, pineapples, raisins, bacon. Water transforms the oranges into orange peel, a little more volatile and oily to the tongue.
Finish: Long. Smoke, salted peanuts, oranges.

Comments:

Another sweet and savoury whisky. It's very unlike the official Yoichi, being a lot more smoky and meaty. Almost like a good Bowmore, except there's a fairly obvious hint of pineapple. It's a good reminder that Japanese whisky has a character all of its own.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Yoichi 15 yo

Yoichi 15 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Hokkaido
Amber
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Musky, bubble gum, strawberry, plum, sour mash.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium body.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Apples, cinnamon, saffron, oak.
Finish: Medium. Cinnamon, cloves, walnuts.

Comments:

First foray into Japanese whiskey! Very fruity and spicy - they must have used some good casks for this one. A little bourbony at the beginning, but maybe that's a Japanese characteristic. Slight reminder of ume in the nose, but without the salt. Not as Japanese as Oban (?!). New bottling, with a line drawing of the distillery on the label.

Verdict:

I like this.