Monday, February 14, 2011

Suntory Old Blended Whisky 43% abv



Nose: Freshly baked ginger bread with dusty wood and saw dust. There is evidence of musty warehouses (not in an unpleasant way) followed by vanilla, small spice, and the smell after a rain shower (dusty scent).

Taste: Oranges and canned fruit salad roll of the surface. Mellow spice and stale cigarettes are evident with entertaining malty implications.

Finish: Short and slightly flat, enjoyable but not highly distinguishable in comparison to other blends in the price catogery.

Balance: Well balanced, silky smooth, and clean blend. The aftertaste is amusing but a little short in my opinion. Never the less enjoyable in its own way.

Comments: I let this sit for a good 8 minutes before I considered nosing and tasting. This bottle had been sitting in the cupboard for sometime, quarter full, so a little air may have put a slight tinge to it.


Reviewed by Clint A

10 comments:

  1. This is a most impressive whisky in my life. Because it is the whisky that I drank for the first time.
    It was in 1980. I forgot a flavor of it, but I remember I lost my memory for excessive drinking.

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  2. "Suntory Old" seems to bring back memories for a lot of people. It holds a certain place for a lot of people in their whisky experience.

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  3. Funny to see these selling in Europe on whiskyauction for Euro45. They go for about 12 bucks in Japan. Thought even more crazy is those bidding over Euro80 for Suntory's Kakubin yellow label, which again sells for about $12 in Japan.

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  4. 80 Euro for Suntory's Kakubin???? Goodness me, last time I was at my local super market it was on special for around $10 in Japan. 80 Euro is equivalent to 9,000 yen, for this price, in Japan, you could grab your self something special. That is really crazy........would be interested what they bid for on the Kakubin black and white labels......

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  5. I had this whisky while I was living in Japan and I absolutely love it. However, I do not think Suntory distributes this whisky in the United States. Does anyone know of a good way to find or buy Suntory Old Whisky in the United States? I'm really desperate to have some again!

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    1. Hi Chris, sorry for the belated reply. That is a good question. Can any readers WRU answer this question? Perhaps an alternative could be to write to Chris over at The Whiskywall. Chris is based in SF and has a better scope on the US market. It's been a while since I've drammed this - may have to check out a their new batches (circa 2012/2013).

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  6. I've never seen this whisky outside of Japan, though that doesn't mean it isn't around. It's currently selling (full price) for around 1,400 yen in Tokyo (as of July 2014), which is about US$13-14. It's not an extraordinary whisky, and obviously there is FAR better stuff coming out of Japan. But for a cheap-o introduction to Japanese whisky, this is a fine choice.

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    1. As an introductory Japanese whisky it is quite suitable indeed, but at 1,400 yen Chad there are a few other options I'd consider buying first as an introduction. Having said that Suntory Old is a must try for anyone with an interest in Japanese whisky. Thanks for the input.

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  7. I picked up a bottle from vietnam for around about $40, for Japanese whisky in Australia that is a good price. Wish I could find more, because a quick search shows it is very hard to find. When I was in Japan I mainly had nikka and yamazaki.

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