I‘m almost embarrassed to admit it, but after two and half years of drinking our lives away, and living to write about it here at 101, we have yet to review any single malt whisky. But all that is going to change today. We recently received a sample of Yamazaki 12 yr aged whisky. Now if the name didn’t give it away for you, i’ll just let you in on the little secret; it’s Japanese. Many are familiar with the riches of scotch in Scotland, and in general the whisk(e)y history in the U.S., Canada, and Ireland, but sometimes forgotten is the high quality of whisky that is being produced in the land of the rising sun.
Yamazaki comes to us from beverage giant, Suntory. Suntory’s founder Shinjiro Torii began building Japan’s first whisky distillery on the outskirts of Kyoto in 1923. The district was Yamazaki, now known as the birthplace of Suntory whisky, an area also known for its excellent water since ancient times by the name Minaseno. Suntory introduced Suntory Shirofuda (“white label”) in 1929, the first genuine whisky to be produced domestically. After further refinements to suit the discriminating market of Japan, the premium whisky Kakubin (“square bottle”) was born.
Suntory is also known for its distribution of many popular wines, beers, spirits, and non-alcoholics, most notably being Midori, the popular green melon liqueur we all know and have fallen prey to. Yamazki is made in the traditional Scottish way, but is aged in a combination of American bourbon casks , Spanish sherry casks, and Japanese oak barrels. It’s like a United Nations of flavor right? Sorry, bad joke. More and more American bars are starting to carry Japanese whisky, but in comparison to it’s competitors, it’s still in it’s early stages. Still, you wouldn’t know that by it’s reputation, though only in existence for a short while Japanese whisky tends to be highly regarded by whisky enthusiasts and connoisseurs. In addition to Yamazki, they also make two other awesome whiskies, Hakushu and Hibiki, both of which are aged 12 years as well. Don’t worry, we’ll be sampling and reviewing those as well in the upcoming weeks.
First Impression: Nicely designed, and catchy bottle. The graphic selection of the label comes off as if their going for that “aged” paper look. I get it, and I like it. The whisky itself has a nice pale amber color to it.
Taste:
- The Nose: A wonderfully sweet nose, with strong fruit aromas. Honey or honeydew, banana, vanilla, cinnamon and caramel are present. Add water and you’ll begin to notice subtle floral notes as well.
- Palate: Full bodied, and great on its first sip. Starts out sweet leading to some bitter notes but fades away quickly. As mentioned before, adding water brings out an anise (or licorice) complexity to its character.
- Finish: Its got a great warm finish, with notes of dried fruits and more of the anise/licorice that I previously mentioned. Wonderful balance of sweet, smokey, and spicy without any one attribute dominating the other.
Grade: B+
Overall: If you like to give or receive alcohol for gifts, this one is a perfect choice. At a price of 49.99, it’s a great value for the depth it offers. Calling this one balanced would be doing it an injustice in our eyes. If you’re a fan of either scotch or Irish whisky, I’d suggest putting this to test with some of your other similarly aged whiskies you’re currently drinking. This was my first Japanese whisky, but it definitely wont be my last. Dare I call it a gateway drug into the whisky world of Japan?
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