Aged & bottled at: Hanyu distillery by Akuto Ichiro - Whisky type: Pure malt (8-year-old vatted malt from allied distillers - further aged in Japan
Nose: Fighting past the oak is an interesting mix of rich, dried fruits: prunes, cooked raisins, and figs. Sarsaparilla syrup is present; I often find this in many expressions bottled by Ichiro-san. After a good 10 minutes in the glass an array of aromas rush for dominance: musk sticks, brandy, new leather, stale boxed charcoal, faint charcoal smoke, and lead pencils followed by a finale of scented cake soap.
Taste: Minerally, iron, conservative spices, sultanas, honey sap, a very brisk appearance of smoke and lead pencils. Possibly a little tame at the ABV of 40%.
Finish: Short-medium. White pepper and sultanas are in play before that minerraly, diluted honey rinses your mouth.
Comment: Water not needed in my opinion. The nose wins hands down in comparison to taste for its rich fruit cake like qualities. Is there such a thing as over charring? I understand the concept but I kept saying to my self "this is too excessive". Still, it was worth the experience with something so limited. I wanted to show the true colour of this whisky, hence the glass shot, but it is in actual fact much darker than this in the bottle.
Reviewed by Clint A
Cheers Clint. Now I don't have to buy it(seen it a few times).
ReplyDeleteBrian, its something worth trying, but to be honest, and this is of course only my opinion, but it may be better to try this expression (by the glass) at a decent whisky bar (if available), than actually buying a bottle. The bottle presentation is great, and it may look great amongst a collection, being limited and what not, but whisky is distilled to be drank, and dare I say it, this is worth drinking only once or twice.
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