Tastes

Crisp apple and slight amounts of phenolic and Smokey pear. Adding some water and waiting 25-35 minutes let’s the nose become richer (more honey and rich apple pie notes - think to the malt mash at the hakushu distillery, it’s right there). It’s extremely soft and delicate throughout especially after waiting and adding water. Again wish I had a bottle of this - had this at the Yamazaki and hakushu distillery for 2900yen per shot.

Golden sweet honey with crisp apples on the nose. Dark cherry and sherried notes hit my palate immediately, dark chocolate and just a wisp of pest. Mostly phenolic peat for me on the first sip. Adding a drip of water just brings out more honey notes. It’s more of the same with the drip of water for me. Adding more water just brings out the smell of the malt mash when you take the distillery tour. The hakushu brings dark baked apple pie notes, whereas the Yamazaki brings the darker chocolate and sherried notes all in the nose.

Dark cherry fruits. It needs that 25-30 minute airing out time and the nose does change it. I feel like it’s the Yamazaki distillery’s attempt at macallan-style type of sherry cask finishes and it is extremely nice. I wish I had a bottle of it that didn’t cost so darn much (2900 yen for a shot or $60,900 yen per bottle)

I wish I had a bottle but I was only able to get some from the Yamazaki and hakushu distilleries

Paid about $50ish in VA a little high. For me, I get the port wine flavors on front end taste and bourbon oak/sweetness on the backend as well as parts of the nose. If I let it sit out for 7-12 minutes, the fruity port wine flavors begin to really come out and dominate the bourbon notes for me. Water didn’t do much for me.

This tastes way above its price point