Showing posts with label Japanese Blended Malt Whisky Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese Blended Malt Whisky Review. Show all posts

Ichiro's Malt Mizunara Wood Reserve


”Woman From Tokyo”

Whisky Review # 891

Country: Japan
Region: North of Tokyo
Brand: Ichiro's Malt Mizunara Wood Reserve - Leaf Series
Blended at: Chichibu Distillery
Type: Japanese Blended Malt Whisky
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Possibly a mix of Bourbon & Sherry & Wood with Mizunara Finish
Chill Filtration: No
Average Price : US$ 230 (October 2020) - Lowest Price: US$ 160 (October 2020)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎Quite expensive for such a Young Whisky.
Buying Advice:😔It's not bad but at this price level I find it hard to recommend it!

Colour:

Medium Amber (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Despite the fact that this Whisky is called Mizunara Wood Reserve, I don't believe it solely matured in Mizunara Wood. When nosing you will immediately get the specific Polished Sandalwood Aroma of the Mizunara Wood but I also get clear Ex-Bourbon Aromas. And there might be a few Ex-Sherry casks in the mix as well. A Mizunara Wood Finish is more likely here. On the Nose this Ichiro is Young, Sweet, Fruity, Floral and Malty. Toffee/Caramel, Honey and (Dried) Fruit lead the way. It's quite soothing and pleasant actually.

Main Aromas:

Toasted Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Honey, Dried Fruit like Plums, Figs and Bananas, Red Apple, Fresh Grapefruit Juice, Floral Tea, Sandal Wood, American Oak, Mint and Cinnamon.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Nectarine, Pear, Bounty Bars, Grass/Straw, Lemon, Sugared Orange, Fresh Herbs, Wet Stones, Nutmeg, Ginger and a hint of Green Vegetables. At times I got the light impression of a wine cellar.


Palate:

The Mouthfeel is on the Thin side and less elegant than the Nose. Its Youth is more clear and the Alcohol is noticeable. It is still Fruity & Malty but Wood and Spices are on the move. Mostly Sweet with a few Bitter and Sour components for balance.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Dried Fruit like Plums, Figs and Dates, Red Apple, Sandal Wood, Oak Shavings, Grapefruit, Lemon, Pepper, Cinnamon, Cardamom and Ginger.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Vanilla, Honey, Salted Nuts, Pear, Orange, Bounty Bars, Grass, Floral Tea, Fresh Herbs like Rosemary, Menthol, Nutmeg, Green Vegetables and Milk Chocolate.

Finish:

Short/Middle-Long. Quite Sweet at first but showing increasing Bitterness towards the end. Its Youth is obvious and the mouthfeel is rather Thin. The Alcohol is also noticeable at this point. I find Barley Sugar, Toasted Cereals, Toffee, Caramel, Red Apple, Dried Fruit like Plums, Figs and Raisins, Grapefruit, Lemon, Sandal Wood, Oak Shavings, Bounty Candy Bars, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Ginger, Menthol and hints of Tobacco and Ashes.

Drinking Advice:

No need to add Water to this Malt. It's Thin enough as it is.

Rating: 83

Nose: 22 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion:

This Whisky is named after Ichiro Akuto, the owner and founder of the Chichibu distillery founded in 2008. He is a grandson of the founder of Hanyu, a distillery that was closed in 2004. Ichiro managed to buy around 400 casks of Hanyu Malt. Ichiro's Malt Mizunara Wood Reserve is a blend of Malt Whiskies from these two distilleries. Over the years the Hanyu part in the blend will diminish as stocks decrease.

Ichiro's Mizunara Wood Reserve is quite pleasant and almost female on the Nose. But the Palate and the Finish show its Youth. Lately I have tasted too many whiskies that simply should have matured more in order to get a chance to shine. Economic reasons seem to rule worldwide these days as supply can hardly keep up with demand. Let's hope the tide will turn as it has done a few times in the history of Whisky. As it stands this Japanese Malt is certainly not bad although the Finish is on the Short side. But it could be so much better with more cask time and a longer marriage of the Spirit with the Mizunara Wood. 

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                      October 12, 2020

Chichibu Distillery

Ichiro's Malt Double Distilleries Review



“The Green Leaves of Summer”

Whisky Review # 867

Country: Japan
Region: North of Tokyo
Brand: Ichiro's Malt Double Distilleries - Leaf Series
Blended at: Chichibu Distillery
Type: Japanese Blended Malt Whisky
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Probably a mix of Sherry Wood and Japanese Oak
Chill Filtration: No
Average Price : US$ 260 (April 2020) - Lowest Price: US$ 135 (April 2020)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎
Buying Advice: 😒Interesting tasting experiment but way too expensive! 

Colour:

Pale Gold (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Young, Light, Clean, Floral and a little Edgy. The Alcohol is noticeable. There is a slight Bourbon feel to it but all in all it's certainly not unpleasant.

Main Aromas:

Malted Barley, German Butter Biscuits, Vanilla, Puff Pastry filled with Apricot or Peach, Milk/Hazelnut Chocolate, Green Tea and Cinnamon.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Heather-Honey, Caramel, Stewed Apples, Green Grapes, Candied Citrus Peel (Orange & Lemon), Floral Soap, Wet Leaves, Wood Shavings, Pepper, Mint and hints of Nail-Polish and Tin Cans.


Palate:

Young, Light, Bitter-Sweet and pretty Dry. The Alcohol remains quite noticeable and leaves the Malt slightly off-balance. I suspect that this Blend is mostly made with Young Chichibu Spirit. This Ichiro could be so much better with sufficient maturation time.

Main Flavours:

Malted and Toasted Barley, Vanilla, Nectarine, Artificial Sweetener, Wet Grass, Wet Stones and Sand, Milk-Hazelnut Chocolate, Candied Citrus Peel, Cinnamon, Pepper, Menthol and Licorice.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Heather-Honey, Caramel, Green Apple, Green Papaya, Green Grapes, Mandarin, Charred Oak, Dusty Track, Floral Soap, Ginger, Nutmeg and Tin cans.

Finish:

Medium-Long, Bitter-Sweet and increasingly Dry. The Alcohol remains present and the Malt can't hide its Youth. But there's certainly potential in this Spirit. It just needs sufficient maturation in good casks. I find Malted & Toasted Barley, Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Charred Oak, Green Apple, Green Papaya, Artificial Sweetener, Candied Citrus Peel, English Breakfast Marmalade, Nectarine, Dusty Track, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Menthol, Licorice, Wet Grass and Tin cans.

Drinking Advice:

Added Water does not improve this vatted Malt.

Rating: 84.5

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion:

This Japanese Whisky is named after Ichiro Akuto, the owner/founder of the Chichibu distillery founded in 2008. He is a grandson of the founder of Hanyu, a distillery that was closed in 2004. Ichiro managed to buy around 400 casks of Hanyu Malt and uses this Whisky a/o in a vatted Blend with Malt from Chichibu. The result is called Ichiro's Malt Double Distilleries. The Hanyu Malt is said to have matured in Ex-Sherry casks while the Chichibu Malt perhaps matured in Japanese Mizunara casks. This information is not officially available though.

Ichiro's Malt Double Distilleries shows the potential of the Chichibu Malt, helped by some older matured Spirit from Hanyu in this case. The latter can't disguise the fact that we're talking bout a Young Whisky here. Not bad for sure but a bit un-balanced and immature. I could imagine it as a nice Summer aperitif. That would be okay at around US$ 50 but thanks to the Japanese Whisky hype you will have to pay a lot more to get a bottle of this Ichiro. The average price is around 5 times as high and there's no way I would spend that kind of money on this Young Japanese vatted Malt. But I will follow this distillery and I hope that one day I can taste a fully matured Chichibu! 

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                        April 6,2020

Chichibu Distillery

Nikka Taketsuru 17 Years Review


“Water of Life”

Country: Japan
Brand: Nikka Taketsuru
Type: Blended Malt Whisky
Age: 17 Years
ABV: 43% 
Chill Filtration: Likely
Whisky Review # 616
Buying Advice: 😋  Great Nose. Good Blend. 😟  Expensive.

Colour: Light Amber (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Interesting! My first association was a Bourbon finished in Sherry casks! It's quite different when compared to mainstream Scottish Whisky. The Sherry casks influence is more than evident. I find lots of Dried Fruits like Plums, Figs, Raisins, Sultanas, Dates and Apples. Dark Honey, Blueberry Preserves, Coffee and some Bitter Chocolate. But there's enough Vanilla as well representing the Bourbon casks. I can't find any Smoke or Peat in the Islay sense of the words. I do get Charred Oak and Dusty Roads. Recently polished Leather. Perhaps some Virgin Oak was used to mature this Taketsuru. This is a very complex Nose and Aromas and impressions pop up all the time. Fresh Cigar Smoke, Marzipan. Also more regular notes such as Buttered Toast, Toffee, Herbal Tea, Lemon, a teaspoon of Pepper and, surprisingly, a little Salt. And finally a slice of Sweet Pineapple sprinkled with Mint. There's so much going on here that it's almost a bit too busy. I just looked at my watch and I realised that I'm nosing this Blend for more than an hour now. Amazing. The one thing that puzzles me a bit is the Alcohol. It's more present than I would have expected of 17 year old Malt. But other than that Nikka has succeeded in creating a Nose that is made to be enjoyed and discussed with friends after a nice dinner.

Palate: Quite disappointing after the intriguing Nose. The Alcohol is confusing. On the one hand you feel that an ABV of 46% would have greatly helped the delivery and mouth feel that presently is a bit on the Thin side. On the other hand the Alcohol is quite present! We have a bit of a dilemma here. Would love to hear your opinions on this one. On the Palate, the Taketsuru presents a mix of Sweet, Spicy and Sour elements. The Oak is much more noticeable by now. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Vanilla, Dried Fruit (Raisins, Sultanas), Red Wine, Dried Herbs, Dark Honey, Bitter Orange, Bourbon, Chocolate, Blackberry Preserves, Dusty Road, Pepper, Salt, Cinnamon, Mint, Licorice, Aniseed and hints of Leather, Tobacco and Espresso. There is a sort of Dirty and Meaty feel to this Blend that ever so slightly reminded me of a mature Mortlach.

Finish: Middle-Long. Mainly Bitter-Sweet but also with Sour Grapes or Red Wine notes towards the end. Licorice, Aniseed, Herbs, Charred Oak and Chocolate are key notes. I also find Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Demerara Sugar, Strong Herbal Tea, Tobacco, Dark Honey, Soy Sauce, Lemon, Pepper, Cinnamon and hints of Pineapple and Espresso. A little Alcohol kick right at the end.

I added a little Water but came to regret that. The Nose completely lost its complexity and reminded me of a Fruit Cocktail. Palate and Finish do not get any better as well. Definitively a Whisky to sip Neat.   

Rating: 87.5       

Nose: 23 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 22


General Remarks:

The Taketsuru range was launched in 2001 in honour of Masataka Taketsuru who founded Nikka whisky in 1934 after having studied chemistry in Glasgow and learnt the art of distilling at Longmorn and Hazelburn. Yoichi was the first distillery, located in Yoichi, Hokkaido. This area roughly resembles the Scottish Speyside region. Originally, the Taketsuru range consisted of the 12, 17 and 21 years. A couple of years ago, Nikka decided to stop producing Vintage Malts. The 12 Years has been replaced in the meantime by the NAS Pure Malt. The 17 and 21 Years are becoming hard to find. The price of the award winning 17 Years lies usually in the US$ 180/240 range (June 2017).

🍷 The Spirit: The Taketsuru 17 years is a blend of especially selected Single Malt Whiskies from Nikka's two Malt distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagikyo. The first one produces Rich and Peaty whiskies. This distillery still uses the traditional Direct Heating Distillation where the Pot Stills with downward Lyne arms are heated with Coal Powder giving the Whiskies a distinct Aroma and a full Body. Yoichi mostly uses peated Barley with 4-50 PPM. Miyagikyo on the other hand is known for its Fruity and Elegant malts. It is located in Miyagi (Honshu). The large stills have boil bulbs and upward Lyne arms. Unpeated or very lightly peated Barley is used. (June 2017).

🌲 The Wood: Nikka does not specify what casks are used for the Taketsuru 17 Years. However strong Sherry Cask Aromas and Flavours like Dried Fruits, Nuts, Chocolate, Coffee and Berries are evident as are the Vanilla and Charred Oak from the Bourbon casks. I would not be surprised if a small number of Mizunara (Japanese Oak) casks and/or Virgin Oak casks were used as well.

Drinking Experience Neat: Quite Good. Very nice Nose!

Conclusion: This is one of these What If conclusions. Because if the Palate and Finish would have been able to accompany the wonderful Nose, this Taketsuru would have rocketed into my Top 5. And I would have gladly paid 200 Dollars for this Blend although this is something I normally wouldn't do. But Palate and Finish are noticeably weaker than the Nose and I'm afraid I can't quite explain why. Did the Spirit remain a couple of years too long in the casks? Should it have been bottled at 46% or even Cask Strength? You would think so but the Alcohol is already strong enough. Is the Sherry cask percentage perhaps a tad too high? Do the Sour elements point at some weaker casks in the mix? That's exactly why I like Whisky so much. It's as complicated as life itself. It's not for nothing that Whisky derives from the Gaelic word Uisge Baugh or "Water of Life"

Jan van den Ende                                                                       June 5, 2017

Miyagikyo and Yoichi Distilleries