Bottled: 2014 - Cask type: Hogshead - Wood type: White Oak - Cask No: EL41108 - ABV: 60% - Outturn: 600 bottles
Nose: On natural sweetness mild dried pear and apple, green banana, honeydew melon, and hard unripe pineapple. Vanilla cream. On artificial sweetness a mix of soft banana shaped and milk flavoured confectionery. Then, white chocolate. Waves of woody aromas and fresh tatami mats. Wholegrain wheat cereal with a sprinkle of brown sugar. With water mild apple pie, banana custard, followed by some soapiness, green tea, green bamboo and herbal suggestions.
Taste: Mild notes of soft fresh licorice. Ground ginger and roasted grapefruit peel. Then, a herbal presence consisting of parsley along with Sansho. Rice straw. Both sour and bitter compounds. Biscuits. Diluting this is well worth it, creamy, the Sansho remains but the sourness and bitterness mellows out while adding a tropical fruit purée element.
Finish: Mild bitterness and wheat biscuits. Walnuts.
Comment: As most of you know, when it comes to Suntory's stable I favour Hakushu more so than Yamazaki, and not just single casks but standard bottlings, with the exception of any fully matured sherry Yamazaki expression. This Hakushu single cask confirms my preference however straight up, I preferred the 6th original store bottling single malt Hakushu (006) from Whisky Shop W over this.
