Akashi Blue Label

Akashi Blue Label

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Amber gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sandalwood, orange peel, clay dust, lemon zest, peaches, hints of camphor. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, volatile, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Sandalwood, fresh cut grass, sage, lemon zest, peaches, hay, hints of clay dust. 
Finish: Short. Demerara sugar, orange peel, hay, fresh cut grass, hints of peaches. 

Comments: 

Quite herbal but sweet and light, with intense peachy notes on the back palate. It also has some grassiness on the finish. A very interesting and layered dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Fuji Single Blended Whisky

Fuji Single Blended Whisky

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

Nose: Cloves, black tea, cooked rice, cotton sheets, malted grains, vanilla custard. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Sour cream, cooked rice, cotton sheets, chocolate, malted grains, hints of raisins. 
Finish: Short. Raisins, cotton sheets, cooked rice, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Both grain and malt whisky blended from a single source. Unfortunately it’s not very distinctive - slightly tart, a little feinty and with a lot of vanilla and chocolate notes. Decent dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Fuji Gotemba Single Grain

Fuji Gotemba Single Grain

Offers bottling
Single grain - West Honshu 
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla custard, desiccated coconut, magic marker, corn syrup, white spirit. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, mouth coating, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Vanilla sponge, brown sugar, magic marker, fresh baked bread, lemon zest. 
Finish: Short. Fresh baked bread, vanilla, brown sugar, black tea. 

Comments: 

A decent, sippable single grain, lots of cereal and bread notes, along with the obligatory vanilla. It’s entry level for sure, but rarely seen in the UK.

Verdict:

I like this.

Fuji Gotemba 17yo Small Batch

Fuji Gotemba 17yo Small Batch

Official bottling 
Single malt - West Honshu
Amber 
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Magic marker, peanuts, pear drops, vanilla, orange peel, hints of green tea. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Magic marker, yoghurt, pear drops, orange peel, lemon zest, honey, sultanas. 
Finish: Short. Green tea, magic marker, pear drops, hints of white pepper. 

Comments: 

Quite estery, reminiscent of nail varnish, with a good, enjoyable, floral overtone. It’s light and refreshing as well, wearing its age lightly.

Verdict:

I like this.

Akashi 3yo 2018/2022

Akashi 3yo 2018/2022

Official bottling 
Single malt - West Honshu
Straw
62% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, tablet, orange peel, vanilla, green tea, sandalwood, hints of cinnamon. With water, cream, condensed milk, hints of starfruit. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, warm, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Sour. Tablet, vanilla, green tea, condensed milk, cinnamon, leather, hints of orange peel. With water, green tea, leather, peat, cream. 
Finish: Long. Leather, peat, green tea, orange peel. 

Comments: 

Cask 101857 + 58. It’s tart stuff, but tart with the earthy sourness of peat rather than fruity acidity. Still, there’s some of that, especially with a bit of water. It’s also got notes of milk and cinnamon. Quite a lovely dram.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Akashi Red Blended Whisky

Akashi Red Blended Whisky

Official bottling
Single blend - West Honshu
Golden
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, green tea, smoked almonds, dried peaches, hints of leather, hints of tobacco leaf. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slightly sticky, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Dried peaches, fresh baked bread, raisins, tobacco leaf, mint, vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Mint, tobacco leaf, white grapes, hints of oats. 

Comments: 

Eigashima whiskies are always light and sweet, but over the years they've been getting more complex. This one has lots of cereal in addition to the fruity notes, and some alluring tobacco as well. Quite tasty and refreshing, especially with ice.

Verdict:

I like this.

Akashi Blended Whisky

Akashi Blended Whisky

Official bottling
Single blend - West Honshu
Orange gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cola nuts, photocopy paper, orange peel, peanuts, white pepper, hints of cotton sheets. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, slightly sticky, balls up on the tongue. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cola nuts, peanuts, honey, molasses, cream. 
Finish: Short. Honey, white pepper, cream, orange peel. 

Comments: 

A proper blended whisky - the flagship White Oak contains some molasses spirit. I believe that this was created for the EU market originally, but can be found all over the world (I bought the bottle in Singapore). It's well constructed, reasonably complex, and very easy-drinking. It's almost swiggable.

Verdict:

I like this.

White Oak Akashi Meisei

White Oak Akashi Meisei

Official bottling
Single blend - West Honshu
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, coffee, malted grains, honey, hints of red grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, mouth coating, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Coffee, red grapes, vanilla, blueberries, hints of candied orange . 
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, coffee, candied oranges, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Another offering from the Eigashima distillery, replacing an earlier expression that may (or may not) have had some non-grain spirit in it. This is all grain. It's decent, savoury and fruit-perfumed, nice mouthfeel too. There's a teensy hint of chinotto in the finish too.

Verdict:

I like this.

Akashi White Oak Single Malt

Akashi White Oak Single Malt

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Buttercups
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, dried pears, guava, peanuts, cream, hints of walnuts. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, loose, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Raisins, dried pears, guava, palm sugar, peaches, hints of walnuts, hints of white grapes. 
Finish: Short. Guava, white pepper, peanuts, peaches, hints of photocopy paper. 

Comments: 

This is the sister bottling to the White Oak blend, the whisky that didn't taste like whisky. This one is definitely whisky though - ooked and dried fruits in abundance, with plenty of spicy pepper in the finish. The hints of paper and white grapes remind me of its sibling.

Verdict:

I like this.

Miyagikyo No Age Statement

Miyagikyo No Age Statement

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

Nose: Green apples, caramel, milk, lemon zest, cinnamon, hints of sandalwood.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, turns syrupy, slightly oily.
Tasting: Sour. Lemon zest, green apples, grated coconut, orange juice, white grapes, hints of sandalwood.
Finish: Medium. White grapes, green apples, cinnamon.

Comments:

Young Miyagikyo seems to hold fruity intense aromas. This is quite complex for its age, and also has a very engaging mouth feel. It's spicy as well, in the aromatic sense, laden with cinnamon and (dare I say it, Yamazaki-esque) sandalwood. This is really good whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Hanyu 2000 Final Vintage

Hanyu 2000 Final Vintage

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Golden
59.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Oak, honey, soy sauce, smoked ham, cream, hints of caramel . 
Mouthfeel: Light body, expands, loose, watery, mouth coating. 
Tasting: Sweet salty. Honey, cream, salted caramel, condensed milk, peanuts, soy sauce. 
Finish: Medium. Cream, honey, soy sauce, hints of smoked ham. 

Comments: 

Big hits of soy sauce and smoked ham, this time quite salty. Offsetting those savoury notes are equally big hits of honey, condensed milk and cream. Nutty, sweet and salty. Yum yum, I could almost chew this whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.