Miyagikyo 12 yo

Miyagikyo 12 yo

Official bottling 
Single malt - East Honshu
Green gold
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Oak, vanilla, butterscotch, apples, sugarcane, melon, hints of burnt sugar. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, watery, expands in the mouth. 
Tasting: Bitter. Vanilla, butterscotch, apples, melon, hints of sugarcane, hints of burnt sugar. 
Finish: Long. Sugarcane, melon. 

Comments:

Bitter, surprisingly so, but cut with a sweet, slightly smoky undertone. A very gentle whisky, something I'd enjoy unwinding at the end of the day with.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kilchoman Machir Bay 2013

Kilchoman Machir Bay 2013

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islay
Straw
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, smoke, vanilla, pears, lemon zest, oatmeal, hints of fish sauce. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loose, volatile. 
Tasting: Bitter sour. Lemon zest, peat, smoke, pears, vanilla, apples, oatmeal . 
Finish: Short. Lemon zest, apples, pears, peat, smoke, hints of melon. 

Comments: 

Fruity and smoky, this is a devastating combination. Despite the age of the whisky (a vatting of 4 and 5 year old casks), there is an amazing depth of flavour. Complex and delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

St George's Distillery Queen's Diamond Jubilee Bottling

St George's Distillery Queen's Diamond Jubilee Bottling

Official bottling 
Single malt - East Anglia
Dandelion
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Oranges, apples, oak, butter, hints of banana, hints of peat. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, expands, turns watery. 
Tasting: Sweet salty. Oranges, apples, milk, butter, hints of caramel, hints of banana. 
Finish: Medium. Apples, milk, caramel, hints of banana. 

Comments: 

My first English whisky! This was bottled to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. It is gentle and sweet, with a slight savoury undertone. A little musty, with a milky hint of what is almost yoghurt. A little young and one dimensional, perhaps.

Verdict:

I like this.
 

Glen Keith 42 yo 1968/2011

Glen Keith 42 yo 1968/2011

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
46% ABV 
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, vanilla, grapefruit, lemon zest, hints of pomelo. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, warm. 
Tasting: Sour. Orange peel, vanilla, sandalwood, lemon zest, pomelo, hints of cloves. 
Finish: Short. Orange peel, vanilla, lemon zest, bitter grapefruit pith. 

Comments: 

Fresh and alluring, this whisky is strongly citrusy, almost sharp. It's very delicate, and doesn't show its age at all. Quite refreshing.


Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Hanyu Chibidaru Cask #346

Hanyu Chibidaru Cask #346

Official bottling 
Single malt - East Honshu
Rose
58.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, grapefruit, orange peel, rose water, cream, cardamom, saffron. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thin, watery, delicate. 
Tasting: Sweet sour. Honey, grapefruit, rose water, cream, saffron, orange peel, hints of walnuts. 
Finish: Short. Honey, grapefruit, rose water. 

Comments: 

Amazingly delicate, floral and spicy. This is magnificent whisky. Oddly, it doesn't take water well, the lovely fragrant rose water notes simply melt away, with very little further development. It's hard to drink at full strength, but I should have persevered.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.
 

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.

Canadian Club 6 yo

Canadian Club 6 yo

Official bottling
Single blend - Ontario
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Banana, vanilla, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, cream. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, smooth, turns watery. 
Tasting: Sweet sour. Vanilla, bananas, butterscotch, black pepper, cardamom, hints of brown paper. 
Finish: Medium. Bananas, brown paper, hints of orange peel. 

Comments: 

Spicy, strangely so - must be the rye content. I didn't really rate rye whisky previously, but this is scarily drinkable. Fragrant and redolent with spices, this must be how they warm up in the Great White North.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 130.1 (Chichibu 4 yo 2009/2013)

SMWS 130.1 (Chichibu 4 yo 2009/2013)

2013, SMWS
Single malt - East Honshu
Golden
61.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon, vanilla, cedar wood, butterscotch, hints of roses. With water, saltier, meatier, roast pork. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, loose, watery. 
Tasting: Sweet sour. Pear drops, lemons, vanilla, cream, butterscotch, hints of roses. With water, saltier, hints of soy sauce. 
Finish: Long. Burning, cedar wood, pear drops, vanilla, bitter gourd, cream, hints of coffee. 

Comments: 

Young, sweet and burning hot. Far too young really, I reckon it would have benefited from a few more years in the cask. But already a hugely complex finish, not even remotely masked by the high alcohol content. A pleasing bitter aftertaste, develops a lot in the glass.

Verdict:

I like this.
 

SMWS 131.1 (Hanyu 22 yo 1991/2013)

SMWS 131.1 (Hanyu 22 yo 1991/2013)

2013, SMWS
Single malt - East Honshu
Copper
57.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, cream, cherries, cloves, hints of lemon. With water, marmalade, butterscotch. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, turns watery, smooth.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Cream, vanilla, straw, sandalwood, cloves, hints of lemon. With water, butterscotch, hints of mint. 
Finish: Medium. Cloves, marmalade, cherries, hints of coffee. 

Comments:

Chock-full of spices and oriental fragrances, but sweet and creamy in the bargain. Needed some water to open it up, but once it did it was really smooth and sweet, with luscious citrus notes. Well-aged, shame there's so very little left.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 132.1 (Karuizawa 28 yo 1984/2013)

SMWS 132.1 (Karuizawa 28 yo 1984/2013)

2013, SMWS
Single malt - West Honshu
Mahogany
59.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Oak, leather, pine, wood polish, toffee, hints of plums. With water, marmalade, more plums, hints of wintergreen. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, sticky, volatile. 
Tasting: Sweet. Wood polish, roast ham, toffee, butterscotch, jalapenos, hints of plums. With water, even sweeter, more plums, marmalade. 
Finish: Long. Marmalade, toffee, wood polish, butterscotch. With water, plums, wintergreen. 

Comments: 

Typical sherry casked Karuizawa - absolutely delicious. This one was just a little strong, but with water, opened up marvellously, with great notes of plums, plums, pudding and ume everywhere. Big notes of wintergreen cut through all of that sweetness, preventing it from getting too cloying.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.