Yamazakura 16 Years Review

“Withered Blossom”

Country: Japan

Brand: Yamazakura

Type: Blended Whisky
Age: 16 Years

ABV: 40% 
Chill-Filtration: Yes 
Whisky Review # 589
Buying Advice:😞  Negative. Too expensive. Good alternatives available! 

Colour: Light Golden (Artificially Coloured) 

Nose: It almost smells like a mixture of Scotch and Bourbon. Both the Corn and the Malt are recognisable. The Alcohol is present as well and so is a whiff of Varnish at the start of the Nosing experience. It is advisable to give this Blend sufficient time in the glass. On the Nose, the Yamazakura is mainly Sweet with some Floral - and Fruity notes. I find Toasted Cereals, slightly Burnt Toast, Vanilla, Caramel, Butterscotch, Honey, Sugar, Green Wood, Resin, Plum Jam, Banana Ice Cream, Sweet Apples, Christmas Cake, Salted Nuts, Cinnamon, Lemon-Pepper, Clove, light Ginger, light Nutmeg and hints of Marzipan and Pineapple. On the Nose, the Yamakazura is somewhat similar to the Hibiki 17 Years I reviewed earlier. The Hibiki presents more balance though.      
      

Palate: Light and Thin Delivery. Bitter-Sweet with some Sour notes towards the end. The Alcohol is not well-integrated. I find Toasted Cereals, Vanilla, Honey, Coconut, Banana, Orange, slightly Sour Cherries, Plum Jam, Lemon-Pepper, Clove, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, Licorice, Oak and Cocoa Powder. 

Finish: Short and Sweet with a light Spicy/Alcohol kick. Quite Dry and slightly Bitter with some Sour Cherries in the end. I also find Toasted Cereals, Vanilla, Varnished Oak, Plum Jam, Orange Flavoured Chocolate, Red Apples, Lemon Juice, Banana, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon and light Licorice. 

I added a little Water and on the Nose the Yamazakura becomes quite Floral, almost like a light Floral Perfume. Some extra Malt and Butterscotch as well. Palate and Finish become too Thin. This Blend would benefit from a slightly higher ABV.

Rating: 81.5 

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Sasanokawa Shuzo company, based in Koriyama, Japan produces Spirits since 1765. Initially mainly Sake and Shochu but, since 1946, also Whisky. The Yamazakura (Mountain Cherry Trees) 16 Years is a limited edition and only 1992 bottles were made available to the European market. The Yamazakura Blend consists of 80% Corn and 20% Malted Barley. It matured in Ex-Bourbon barrels for 16 years, was blended in steel tanks before returning to Ex-Bourbon casks for a few months. There are some bottles available on the Internet at an average price of 150 US Dollars (January 2017).

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay 

Conclusion: I had expected more to be honest. The presentation and packaging are excellent and the name Yamazakura suggests a gentle, Floral character. In fact, this Blend is dominated by the Grain Alcohol that gives this Whisky a slightly Harsh profile without a lot of balance. You do get some slightly Sour Cherries though! The Nose is the best part and there are some nice Aromas to be discovered. You need to find your way around the Alcohol and Varnish though. Make sure you give this Blend lots of time in the glass to open up. The Palate and Finish are quite Thin and Short respectively. This Whisky would have benefited from a higher ABV. As it stands, the Price/Quality ratio of the Yamazakura 16 Years is inadequate. If you're looking for a nice Japanese Blend, go for the Hibiki 12 Years instead.  

Jan van den Ende                                                                 January 16, 2017

Sasanokawa Shuzo Distillery

Nikka From The Barrel Review

Hokkaido does look like Scotland doesn't it!

“Bourbon Made On Hokkaido”

Country: Japan

Brand: Nikka From The Barrel

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 51.4 % 

Colour: Polished Mahogany

Nose: The Alcohol is quite strong so be sure to give Nikka enough time in the glass to reveal its Aromas. The first impression is a Sweet, Fruity, Spicy, Oaky Bourbon-like Spirit. I find Banana, Pineapple, Mango, White Grapes, Mandarin, Red Apple, Grapefruit Juice, Orange, Golden Syrup, Honey, Peanuts, Marzipan, Candies, Plum Jam, Cereals, Custard, Butter, light Pepper, Cloves, Cinnamon, light Floral notes and hints of Leather and Charcoal. Take your time with this Spirit. I nosed it for over half an hour and the Fruit impressions kept coming. After some time a certain Sour note pops up that I can't quite place.

Palate: The Delivery is strong thanks to the high ABV. On the Palate, the Nikka is Bitter-Sweet, Spicy and slightly Sour with lots of Tannin, Charred Oak, Toffee, Bourbon, Malt, Vanilla, Orange, Mandarin, Apples, Banana Ice Cream, Honey, Nougat, Marzipan, Pepper, Nutmeg, Clove, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom, Nuts Dried Herbs and Aniseed.    

Finish: Middle-Long. Bitter-Sweet and slightly Sour at first but Dry in the end. I find Charred Oak, Tannin, Cereals, Buttered Toast, Toffee, Vanilla, Dried Fruit, Nuts, Dried Herbs, Orange, Grapefruit, Banana, Lemon, Pepper, Cloves, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Menthol and hints of Tobacco and Metal. 

With a bit of water the Nose gets more Vanilla and some Floral Perfume. On the Palate and in the Finish the Alcohol gets less strong of course and the Spirit becomes very Smooth. But also less interesting. Vanilla, Toffee and Banana Ice Cream start to dominate. Still, you can experiment with a couple of drops at a time.  

Rating: 83 

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: This successful Blend from Nikka most likely contains Malt Whisky from Yoichi and Grain Whisky from Miyagikyo. The matured whiskies are blended and then married in first fill Ex-Bourbon casks. It is bottled directly from these Casks. Bottled at Re-Cask Strength as it were. The average price amounts to 45 US Dollars for a 50 CL bottle (November 2015).

In 1934 Nikka Whisky and the Yoichi Distillery were founded by Masataka Taketsuru the "Father of Japanese Whisky" who learnt the trade in Scotland. The Miyagikyo Plant followed in 1969. Nikka is currently owned by Asahi Breweries. 

Attention: The Label of the sample bottle shows some errors. The correct ABV is 51.4% and Nikka from the Barrel is not a Single Malt Whisky.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Certainly not a bad Blend. The Grain component is less noticeable than in many of its Scottish peers. The Nose is Fruity but you need patience to be able to get all the details because the Alcohol is quite strong. It's a must to give the Nikka enough time in the Glass (at least 1 hour) before you can start Nosing. On the Palate you will find more Toffee, Citrus, Spices and Oak. The Tannin is quite strong, even more so in the Finish. There's also a certain Sour note around that you will need to appreciate. You will like the Banana Ice Cream note though. Many Blended Whiskies are not interesting enough to sip neat but this Nikka is one of the exceptions to the rule. Certainly worthwhile to give it a try, especially if you're into Bourbon. 

Jan van den Ende                                                            November 30, 2015

Part of the Yoichi Distillery

Hibiki 12 Years Review

“A Nose You Won’t Forget”

Country: Japan

Brand: Suntory Hibiki

Type: Blended Japanese Whisky

Age:  12 Years

Alcohol: 43%

Colour: Golden Amber

Nose: Soft and Attractive with Malty, Fruity and Floral tones. No aggressive notes whatsoever. Immediately you smell something that you won't find in Scottish whiskies. I'm sure the Ex-Plum Liqueur barrels made of Japanese Oak are responsible for that. On the Nose the Hibiki 12 bears more resemblance with

a good Bourbon than with Scotch Whisky. I find Dried Plums and Apricots, Rum soaked Raisins, Orange Marmalade, Apple Pie, Chocolate Milk, Butterscotch, Cherries, Banana, Vanilla, Resin, Oak, Fresh Coconut Milk, Sweet Barley, Soft Grains, Nuts, Papaya Cream, Melon, Cinnamon, Ginger and a little Nutmeg. On the Nose, the Hibiki 12 Years is more accessible than its older brother, the 17 Years. You can smell the 12 Years for an hour and it won't be boring. Every time you discover new Aromas. The Alcohol is nicely integrated. I really like it!

Taste: Lots of Citrus with Orange and Lemon Peel, light Sherry, Oak, Malt, Soft Grains, Roasted Nuts, Honey, Plums, Cherries, Banana, Pineapple, Vanilla, Dried Fruits, Clove, Ginger and Nutmeg. On The Palate, the Grain Alcohol is much more noticeable. 

Finish: Middle-Long and quite Dry but with a nice combination of Sweet, Bitter and Sour. I find Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Citrus, Cherries, Plums, Red Apples, Oak, Banana, Cocoa Butter, light Varnish, light Pepper, Ginger and Nutmeg.  

I added a little Water and the Grains become more noticeable on the Nose. Palate and Finish do not benefit from the added Water as well. Better sip it neat. 

Rating: 86  

Nose: 22.5 – Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 – Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: Normally I don’t pay too much attention to the packaging but it needs to be said that the bottle used for the Hibiki Blend is a very nice one. It's practically a decanter. 

Hibiki 12 Years contains some 30 different whiskies. At its heart you will find the Malt Whiskies from Yamazaki and Hakushu alongside the Grain Whisky from Chita. The whiskies used for Hibiki are matured in Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry casks and partly in Japanese Oak barrels that used to contain Plum Liqueur. Before bottling, the Hibiki 12 is filtered through Bamboo Charcoal. The price varies a lot from country to country but on average you will pay around 75 US Dollars for this Blend (April 2015) 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good. Great Nose!

Conclusion: The Word Hibiki in Japanese has a lot of meanings. Amongst them are " Collection of Reflecting Sounds" and "Harmony". In the end, that’s what every serious blender would want to achieve. To create a collection of reflecting flavours that, once brought together, form a unique harmonious combination while maintaining or even enhancing the strengths of individual components. So let's see if the Hibiki 12 Years deserves its name. 

Let me start by saying that this Japanese Blend has Scottish, Bourbon and Local influences. The result is a spirit with a clear own personality that you probably will be able to identify when you smell and taste it again. I love the Nose of the Hibiki 12. It smells and feels almost like a Single Malt Whisky as the Grain notes are quite Soft and hardly noticeable. You can easily spend an hour nosing this Blend as New Aromas will keep popping up. Lovely stuff. Unfortunately the Palate and the Finish can't quite deliver what the Nose promises. The Grain Alcohol is more noticeable, although in no way as harsh as in many of the Scottish Blends. So while Palate and Finish are still Good, they miss the magic of the Nose. When compared to the more expensive 17 Years, I find the Hibiki 12 years much more accessible on the Nose while Palate and Finish are reasonably similar. In my opinion it does not pay off to spend the extra bucks on the 17 Years. I conclude that the Hibiki 12 Years certainly represents a "Collection of Reflecting Sounds", especially on the wonderful Nose. On the Palate and in the Finish, the Grain Alcohol is a bit too present to call it completely harmonious. Still, it comes very close and the Hibiki 12 Years is a Blend I fully recommend despite its high price. "Hotondo Hibiki", We're Almost There!

Jan van den Ende                                                                    April 30, 2015

Stills at the Hakushu Distillery