The Hakushu 12 yo

 

 

 

43°

Distillery : Hakushu - Japan 

1st Fill Bourbon Casks

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt

Launched in 1994

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Slightly Peated

 

 

 

This is Suntory's 2nd legendary bottling, after Yamazaki 12 Year Old. They are among the few products that have put Japanese whisky on the map. Over the years, Hakushu 12yo has become so famous that production had to be discontinued due to lack of stock in 2018. But it came back three years later to our great delight. The recipe is simple: first-fill Bourbon casks, pure water, warehouses at an altitude of 700 metres, 12 years of waiting. And the miracle happened.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

First the nose is very fruity, with juicy apples and pears, orchard fruits, it's very herbaceous, cut grass, angelica, and a very light layer of peat, which gives a marshy character to the whole. Forest undergrowth, vegetable moss, pistachio, chlorophyll. It's gourmand on the palate, with icing sugar, lime and candied fruits. Barely noticeable spices. Long, well-crafted finish, vegetal, but also damp earth, holly leaf, green tea, lettuce.

In Short, 

It's obviously interesting, with the light peat adding depth to this herbaceous, woody whisky. The first-fill casks give a lovely roundness. It's well made, but not very powerful. Of course, the price is very exaggerated, but it's not as crazy as the other bottlings. Absolute fans of the distillery can afford it.

Score : 85

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Iskwé - Caught in the Waves

The Hakushu 18 yo

 

 

 

43°

Distillery : Hakushu - Japan

Ex-Bourbon, Ex-Sherry and Mizunara Oak Casks

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2006

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Slightly Peated

 

 

 

There are several Hakushu 18 Year Old, some are limited editions, like the one in my previous post, and this one belongs to the distillery's Core Range. Launched in 2006 when whisky connoisseurs were just beginning to take an interest in the world of japanese whisky, it is now an institution, and those who were able to buy it when its price was still affordable are very happy with it.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is intense and deep, beginning with cereal grains and dried vanilla, followed by very well-balanced forest and planty fragrances, with a very discreet peatiness that adds fullness. Forest undergrowth, chestnuts, chlorophyll, dried biscuits. Dates and dried figs too. It's very mellow on the palate, calissons d'Aix, frangipane, vanilla pastry cream, speculoos crumbs. Perfectly mastered spices, cloves, a pinch of pepper. Long, measured finish, very well done without being explosive. Liquorice, sandalwood, cinnamon, dead leaves, humus, vegetal moss.

 

In Short, 

I find it better balanced than the 18-year-old Peated Malt 2024, but less powerful. It's obviously a good whisky, with a distinctive personality, but there is not a lot of character here. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find these days and extremely expensive, so it should be reserved for speculators and wealthy collectors.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Deep Forest - Sweet Lullaby

The Hakushu 18 yo Peated Malt Tsukuriwake 2024 Edition

 

 

 

48°

Distillery : Hakushu - Japan

Bourbon Barrels and American White Oak Casks

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Slightly Peated

 

 

 

Within the Tsukuriwake 2024 range, this Hakushu 18 yo is a little more peaty than usual. No information was given on how it was made, how it was aged, let alone how many bottles were produced. I've emailed Suntory to ask for information, and I assume they're still discussing whether it fits in with their business plan to answer me. So I'm presuming that the ageing is the same as for the Distiller's Edition and the 12 yo.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

It's intensely herbal, swamps, reeds, vanilla bamboo stalks, candied angelica, bay and holly leaves. But there's some fruit in there too, fresh juicy pears, greengages, pistachio and celery. The peat is light, barely mineral. The palate is more honeyed and fruity, with hints of cinnamon and milk chocolate. The spices are very well controlled. A whiff of smoke lingers in the mouth. The finish is long and well-crafted, with cloves, cola, ginger root and fruit pastes. Woody undertones.

 

In Short, 

The herbal character is intense, made even more so by the peat. It's very interesting and quite pleasant. I really liked it, but the price is totally grotesque. I can't understand why anyone would pay so much for a bottle for which they know neither the peat content nor the exact ageing.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Breizh Pan Celtic - The Gael

Glen Ord 2012 100 Proof Edition #22 11 yo

 

 

 

57,1° (100° Proof)

Distillery : Glen Ord - Highlands 

1st Fill Bourbon Barrel 

Independent Bottling 

By Signatory Vintage 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

Barely a year into its existence, this is already the 22nd bottling in the 100 Proof series, not counting the Exceptional Casks, which form a separate sub-range. How far will they go? This one is aged in Bourbon casks, which is not so common in this collection, dominated by Sherry. We don't know how many bottles have been produced, but it's in the region of several thousand.

 

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Salty citrus, rocky grapefruit, with a touch of hay and lemon. It's mellow, airy, mirabelle plums, greengages, dried apricots. Cut wheat, it's harvest time. The lawn after the rain. Green tea. Herbal notes, candied angelica, a sage leaf. It's still citrusy on the palate, with hints of white plum and even vanilla. Then some spices, pepper, nutmeg. Nice fullness. The finish is long and powerful, cloves, fairly herbal, laurel, but also slightly smooth. Frangipane with bits of almond. Calissons.

 

In Short, 

Another great success in this range. I think I particularly like this distillery, which is underrated. The combination of saline and herbal notes, fruit and citrus, is very well-balanced and full of character. Given the value for money, this is a must-buy.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Jackson C. Frank - My Name is Carnival

The Yamazaki 12 yo

 

 

 

43°

Distillery : Yamazaki - Japan

American, Spanish and Mizunaara Oak Casks

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 1984

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

This one is a piece of history, launched in 1984 when Japanese whisky was as famous and renowned as Basque pelota, it has stood the test of time, gradually becoming a veritable institution. It is also one of the first Japanese single malts, if not the very first.

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

It's mellow, fleecy, airy, comfortable. As if you were on an old leather sofa, warm under a blanket. Warm wood, milk chocolate mousse, coppery grain. But it's also very subtle, with citrus and dried fruit notes adding complexity. Puffed rice. Cooked apples on the palate, a square of dark chocolate, delicate vegetal touches, light spices, nutmeg and cloves. Very woody and delicately mentholated finish, with hints of old bark and damp earth. Fresh chestnuts.

 

In Short, 

There's some interesting stuff in here, a lovely subtlety and impressive balance. It's pleasant to drink, and deserves its reputation. It's a great shame that the price has soared so high. Maybe it lacks strength a bit, though. 

Score : 85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           King Bee & The Stingers - Meet Me in Memphis

The Yamazaki Golden Promise Tsukuriwake 2024 Edition

 

 

 

48°

Distillery : Yamazaki - Japan

American, Spanish and Mizunara Oak Casks

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Almost Unpeated 

 

Since 2020, Suntory has been releasing a biennial range called Tsukuriwake, which pays tribute to Japanese craftsmanship and its diversity. This 2024 edition is the third, and this Yamazaki Golden Promise is one of its representatives. Made from Golden Promise barley, the emblematic barley of Scotch whisky from the 1960s-1970s, it has also undergone the classic Yamazaki triple maturation process. Neither the age of the product nor the number of bottles filled is known.

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is mellow and grainy, with ganache biscuits, milk chocolate and vanilla pastry, all linked by notes of lemon and honey. A few dried fruits, apricots, figs, bananas and raisins. All in all, a fine balance. On the palate, the fruit is fresher, even exotic, and the chocolate is more prominent, combined with nutmeg and ginger. Quite powerful finish, without being explosive, very controlled, very woody. Earthy touches, the chocolate becomes darker, and the whole is a little more vegetal. Green tea, holly leaves.

 

In Short, 

It's very good, of course, but not exceptional either. The influence of the Golden Promise barley is interesting, with a certain cereal freshness. After all, this is a Yamazaki, certainly ageless but maybe not too young, with an interesting alcohol content, and quite intense. Unfortunately, the price is astronomical, it should be five times cheaper.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Lauge - Undercurrent

Isle of Raasay 2019 Na Sia Single Cask Series Unpeated Rye Cask 5 yo c. 19/268

 

 

 

61,8°

Distillery : Isle of Raasay - Islands 

American Rye Whiskey Cask 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

The plan for the Na Sia Single Cask Series is to release a Batch every two years, when the distillate is 3, 5, 7, 9 and finally 11 years old. So here we have the 2nd Batch in the series, which, like its predecessor, comes in six versions: Bordeaux cask, Chinkapin oak cask, American Rye cask, peated and unpeated. Here we have a sample of cask 19/268, an unpeated American Rye cask. Each cask produces around 150 to 250 bottles.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

It's mellow, with hints of brioche, sponge cake, a few white fruits coated in honey, raisins and plums, but there's also a whiff of rustic cereal, varnished wood and freshly baked farmhouse bread. Touches of pepper and vanilla. On the palate, royal jelly, gingerbread, black bread galettes, woody spices, pan-fried caramel, cinnamon. Powerful finish, with notes of charcoal, terracotta, cocoa paste, coffee, toffee and ginger. The wood becomes rougher.

 

In Short, 

That's very interesting. I've always enjoyed Rye, here the cereals are intense, but very softened by tones of honey and white fruit. It's very pleasant to drink. The nose is sufficiently complex and the finish quite powerful. On the other hand, the price is a little too high.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Danit - Cuatro Vientos

Isle of Raasay Lightly Peated Batch R-01.3.1

 

 

 

46,4°

Distillery : Isle of Raasay - Islands

1st Fill Rye Whiskey, Chinkapin Virgin Oak and 1st Fill Bordeaux Red Wine Casks

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 25 ppm  

This biannual range is coming to an end, or so I'm told. This is the 3rd Batch of the Spring edition, which is named 01 (02 being the Autumn edition). I don't know what the 1 at the end means. All these codes are certainly starting to get complicated. I don't know the age of the beast or the number of bottles produced.

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is lively, almost spicy, with honey and white fruits, vanilla and banana, gentle sea breeze, spices, cloves and black pepper. Luscious vanilla, warm waffle, mineral salts. Sand from the beach, a few salted biscuits. It's full on the palate, with yellow plums, mirabelles, the peat is far in the background, as are the spices. The finish is correct but light, woody, toasted cereals, crispy buckwheat pancakes, some pastry and creamy notes. Whipped cream.

In Short, 

I think this series has improved over time. I used to find the mouth very clear, but here it's quite pleasant. I would still like a more virile alcohol content. The price is still a bit high.

Score : 86

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Haunted Images - Grey Days