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.

Suntory Hibiki 12 yo

Suntory Hibiki 12 yo

Official bottling
Blended malt
Golden
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apples, plums, mint, cherries, roses, hints of honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, smooth, mouth coating, expands. 
Tasting: Sweet sour. Mint, cherries, cream, mangoes, honey, hints of roses. 
Finish: Medium. Mint, cherries, cream. 

Comments: 

Fragrant, floral and fruity. There are some vegetal green notes, which I interpret as minty flavours, which go very well indeed with the sweet sour, creaminess of the dram. Very pleasant blend, the grain whisky that goes in must be really quite old!

Verdict:

I like this.

Ichiro's Malt Chichibu 3 yo The Peated

Ichiro's Malt Chichibu 3 yo The Peated

Official bottling
Single malt - East Honshu
Pale gold
50.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, orange peel, chocolate, smoked ham, lemon juice. With water smoked ham, soy sauce, hints of garlic and onion. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, expands, loose, watery. 
Tasting: Bitter sour. Smoke, tarred rope, orange peel, lemon juice, chocolate, balsamic vinegar, hints of soy sauce. With water, sweeter, slightly bitter, soy sauce, hints of palm sugar and garlic. 
Finish: Short. Lemon juice, smoke, orange peel, hints of smoked ham. 

Comments: 

A very young Chichibu. Seems to pick up where Hanyu left off - strong flavours of soy sauce and smoked ham. This particular whisky is quite sour, with sharp accents of orange peel and lemon juice. Smoky and remarkably complex for its age.


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.

Karuizawa 1982 Sherry Cask (for The Whisky Exchange)

Karuizawa 1982 Sherry Cask (for The Whisky Exchange)

Official bottling
Single malt - West Honshu
Deep red brown
56.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, blackberries, strawberries, chocolate, hints of cherry.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, smooth, loose, spicy.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Cream, chocolate, blackberries, strawberries, cherries, honey.
Finish: Long. Cherries, honey, hints of wet leaves.

Comments:

Incredible. Huge sweet and spicy flavours, redolent with red fruits. Very autumnal, with big hits of blackberries and in the background, an earthiness like the smell of wet leaves. This is fantastic whisky, worth every penny.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Ichiro's Malt Hanyu 15 yo

Ichiro's Malt Hanyu 15 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - East Honshu
Pale gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, oak, salted caramel, soy sauce, hints of smoked ham. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, watery, expands in the mouth. 
Tasting: Bitter. Honey, mint, soy sauce, oak, dried apricots, hints of bitter gourd. 
Finish: Short. Mint, salted caramel, honey. 

Comments: 

First ever Hanyu! Lots of salty and sweet notes, but surprisingly bitter in the mouth. But not unpleasant. There's a very unusual note in the flavour, which I interpret as bitter gourd (slightly earthy, fragrant bitterness). Very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 66.44 (Ardmore 10 yo 2002/2013)

SMWS 66.44 (Ardmore 10 yo 2002/2013)

2013, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Deep red brown
56.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Soy sauce, oak, strawberries, vanilla, caramel, smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, watery, thin. 
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Soy sauce, strawberries, smoke, bacon, vanilla, chocolate. 
Finish: Medium. Smoke, bacon, vanilla. 

Comments: 

I was seduced by the gorgeous colour. I ought to know better by now - the colour of a whisky is in no way indicative of its flavour. Smoky and sweet, but with big hit of soy sauce and meaty bacon. The flavours aren't very well-balanced, although the whisky is a bit young. Disappointing, given my expectations.

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS 39.82 (Linkwood 13 yo 1997/2011)

SMWS 39.82 (Linkwood 13 yo 1997/2011)

2011, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Yellow gold
60% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, roses, lemon zest, pears, hints of toffee. With water, pears, hay, grass. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thick, spicy, weighty in the mouth. 
Tasting: Sweet sour. Leather, pasilla chillies, roses, lemon zest, butterscotch. With water, grass, pears, slightly bitter. 
Finish: Long. Warm, leather, roses, pears. 

Comments: 

Fruity and flowery on first nosing, but with an undertone of leather trousers. That's not as unpleasant as it sounds. Once water was added, it became much more light, turning grassy and vegetal while retaining its fruit and floral notes.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 7.91 (Longmorn 20 yo 1993/2013)

SMWS 7.91 (Longmorn 20 yo 1993/2013)

2013, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold
50.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, custard, apples, butterscotch, hints of leather. With water, pomegranate, red grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, mouth coating. 
Tasting: Sweet. Custard, strawberries, apples, cloves, lemon zest, hints of tobacco. With water, tobacco, banana, leather. 
Finish: Long. Tobacco, leather, apples, cloves, custard. 

Comments: 

Oof! This whisky smacked me in the mouth with its complexity. Lots of lovely sweet spicy tannic flavours. It was a little full on, so I added water. Then it became much more like a good bourbon, bursting with tobacco and banana, but without the cardboardy taste that drags down some bourbons. Very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 46.21 (Glenlossie 11 yo 2002/2013)

SMWS 46.21 (Glenlossie 11 yo 2002/2013)

2013, SMWS
Single malt - SpeysidePale gold
60.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, orange peel, caramel, butterscotch, lemon zest.With water, pepper, maple syrup.

Mouthfeel: Light body, thin, loose, spicy, watery. 
Tasting: Sweet. Chocolate, orange peel, cayenne pepper, popcorn, oak. With water, sweeter, hints of bacon and maple syrup.

Finish: Long. Chocolate, butterscotch. 

Comments: 

Quite Christmassy at the beginning, with lots of lovely sweet, spicy notes.Then, with water, morphs into a little bit of a McDonalds' breakfast - bacon and maple syrup, on hotcakes. This one is a bit of a chameleon.

Verdict:

I like this.