Nose: Decent for a blend that's around $12 (cheaper when on special). An intriguing mixture of sweet and savory aromas. Caramel popcorn, big bourbon qualities (Jim Beam always comes to mind), slight alcohol burn but acceptable, sweet vanilla pastries before a vegetal note of sweet processed corn kernels kick in. A good splash of water brings out a moderate whiff of dried rosemary and after a good 10 minutes in the glass I picked up berry cordial; at first I thought home brand raspberry cordial but then Cottee's mixed berry cordial led the way. Hidden far away is a sweet smoky aroma: smoked sweet potato.
Taste: A few hard edges but these retain themselves before dried pear and bourbon qualities appear, only this time in a fudge form. Caramel popcorn is dominant along with oak, and malt powder.
Finish: Slight roughness that soon fades into that distinctive caramel popcorn followed by a moderate minerally and malty finale.
Comment: Pleasant neat with a splash of water (recommend for those few extra aromas). Refreshing as a highball on a hot day but I find it to be a bit soapy when mixed, so I prefer it as is. I'm on my second bottle, a good blend, one of the best in this price range in my opinion. For some insight into Kirin's marketing presence take a look here.
Reviewed by Clint A
I appreciate bang-for-your-buck whisky. It fits a utilitarian/medicinal purpose well.
ReplyDeleteAt times this blend can go as cheap as 880 yen, that is an extremely cheap price to pay for reasonable quality. That's cheaper than a few of the home brand blends here, and at a price that you will never see in your home country. Even rough, not overally pleasant , hard hitting cheap blends back home will set you back twice as much. Bang-for-your-buck indeed.
DeleteYour right Clint this stuff is perfectly acceptable for ridiculously little money. And right again that gut rot in Australia will cost you twice as much and sometimes more.
ReplyDeleteThis is one whiskey that never fails to satisfy me. Because of its low price and its wide availability one would think that it's just a cheap grocery store bottle of stuff on par with Suntory Red or Torys. But (IMO) it's a very tasty blend in quite a classy package. Whenever my wife and I are doing an overnight trip to an onsen hotel/Inn before checking in we usually stop by a liquor store to pick up some beverages for enjoying in the room. More often than not I grab a bottle of Kirin Fujisan. Additionally, I think it's just as good as Kirin’s Emblem whisky which is a lot more difficult to find. I prefer to drink it on the rocks (no water).
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