Tastes

Time to try this travel exclusive before I get to the Hibiki 12! 🥃 This is a blended whisky, 43% ABV. It is drawn from 5 different casks and selected by the Suntory Whisky blending team and released on the travel market 🥃 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 NOSE • Nose offers notes of raisins and otherwise general fresh fruits. I'd also describe it as floral with some lighter notes. Rather faint. Also let it breathe for a bit. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 PALATE • I found the palate rather delightful with fresh fruits swirling on the tongue, notes of orange. Rather tropical! I picked up some banana and then the oak. Palate has a gentle burn. 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 FINISH • The finish had spice notes for me, mainly pepper with a hint of vanilla. Finish is friendly and short. 🌕🌕🌕🌖🌑 OVERALL • Overall I enjoyed this more than the "regular" Japanese Harmony. Especially the fresh fruit palate. A pleasant blend. I wish the finish was as fruity and fuller like the palate which would take it to new heights. We'll see what the Hibiki 12 has to offer! 🥃

Finally get to taste Nikka Coffey Grain, Coffey Malt is already one of my favorites 🥃 This whisky is mainly made from corn and is a 45% ABV NAS, however age is said to be between 8-12 years. 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 NOSE • Nose was rather full mainly with notes of brown sugar and lemon zest also cereal and vanilla. Fumes can be a tad overpowering at first so I'd say let it breathe a moment. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 PALATE • Palate definitely has notes like a bourbon at first, caramel and vanilla. But then to my delight citrus came flying through, giving it a fresh feel. There are spices in there as well. 🌕🌕🌕🌖🌑 FINISH • The finish is quite lean, more notes of brown sugar, toffee and vanilla. It has an easy burn that picks up strength afterwards. 🌕🌕🌕🌖🌑 OVERALL • It is a pleasant dram, I like the idea of a bourbon-like whisky that has balancing notes of cereal and that delightful citrus. I still think Nikka Coffey Malt is more enjoyable personally. Let it breathe after pouring or decant it if you are brave 😉 PS. "Coffey" is the name of the still and has nothing to do with coffee. DS.

Blanton's Gold Edition was my first bourbon! 🥃 This is a single barrel, 51,5% ABV bourbon, made with a sour mash of corn, rye and malted barley. Each bottle is hand filled and labeled and then individually numbered. This is bottle no. 93 from barrel no. 524. Color is dark amber and amazing. 🌕🌕🌕🌖🌑 NOSE • Nose for me is rather excellent, with a balanced vanilla and honey note. Also pretty notable in there is cherry (not sherry). Fumes can be decent when you first pour it, so let it breathe if needed. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘 PALATE • The palate is pungent, with base vanilla, thick orchard honey, lots of spices, mainly peppery rye. Quite oily in the mouth. Rounded off with notes of oak also. Burn is what I'd expect from 51,5% ABV. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 FINISH • On the finish you get clear toffee and vanilla notes, when they are done you get a drying sensation and notes of lingering cream, butter and charred oak. Finish is rather long and enjoyable. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 OVERALL • One of the best bourbons I've had and I think I have a fancy for single barrel ones too. Rich, oily and all the desired bourbon notes, cherry nose and pepper rye to elevate it further.

My first Hibiki so why not start with Japanese Harmony? 🥃 A blend that has both malt whiskies from Yamazaki and Hakushu and grain whisky from Chita. Casks used includes American White Oak, Sherry and Mizunara. This is a NAS with 43% ABV. 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 NOSE • For me the nose had clear notes of toffee and vanilla, with a honey edge. Very American oak influenced. There was some fumes coming through as well but I didn't let it breathe for long. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 PALATE • When taking a sip the palate is immediately rather fresh with citrus or orange zest with some tart tang to it. Also honey joining those fruits still. It then transitioned more into the sherry notes and oak came through as well. There is considerable burn for a 43% ABV. 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 FINISH • On the finish the toffee came back and the honey still clinging on the notes throughout the experience. Then again it transitioned for me into more sherry notes and oak before vanishing. The finish was not long at all and there is almost no burn (compared to the palate). 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 OVERALL • It is an enjoyable blend with the strong point for me the citrus and honey palate. If the burn was more gentle and had a longer finish it'd be even better. Instagram: @mr.ljwhisky

My first Japanese blend, Nikka from the Barrel! 🥃 I've read a lot of good things about this dram and just had to taste it. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘 NOSE • Nosing it I got notes of toffee and spice, it was very rich. It was joined with notes of oak and vanilla and a hint of sweet butter. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 PALATE • The palate was very rich with a myriad of spices which were very well balanced on their own. Balancing the spices out were notes of orange and sweet caramel. I feel that the 51,4% ABV was basically perfect for the palate. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘 FINISH • Finishing this blend didn't let you forget and was lasting. Still rich of spices, some cereal notes of grain then oak with a lingering note of hazelnuts. Still some sweetness in there. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 OVERALL • Keeping an open mind while tasting, I dare say this is one of the best blends I've had. Definitely worthy of a permantent spot on the shelf. I need to repeat that the ABV was very well balanced and fitting for the palate. Impressed! Instagram: mr.ljwhisky

Time to try my first The Glenlivet! Which means I've returned to Speyside. Master Distiller's Reserve is 40% ABV NAS and I consider it on the entry-level shelf. This is tripple cask matured and it shows in the notes too. On the nose I got a clear pear note that was ripe and a bit sweet with orchard honey. I was aware people got pear notes from The Glenlivet, I just didn't think they would be so clear! Fudge notes came through. My palate did pick up a fair amount of oak from the start which I'm a fan of. It mingled with general spice and did have some tangy pear notes in the back as well. The finish for me mainly offered notes of sherry, with tannins that were more bitter than dry, spices still present. Compared to the nose and palate notes the finish was not as complex. Something I've noticed from 40% ABV NAS drams. It was still enjoyable and I will have this as a pleasant casual sipper! Instagram: mr.ljwhisky

Glen 'Geery' 1797 Founder's Reserve, from the eastern Scottish Highlands. Is a NAS, non-chill filtered 48% ABV singe malt! This was my first dram from the eastern Highlands and seeing this is their entry-level dram I thought it be appropriate. I had this decantered before tasting. The nose was rather sweet, with fresh fruits of green apple, some mellow honey and a touch of raisins. On the palate it was rather fruity still but with a lot more pepper and spices, rather harsh on the feel. Which I've come to expect from entry-level NAS. The fruitiness did not join on the finish, but instead offered a fair amount of smoke, some leather, plenty of spices and malt, rounded off by dark chocolate. Rather harsh still. Overall I've quite enjoyed this dram for what it is and I just had to pick the right moment for it. Which goes for most drams really. A casual sipper with some kick to it. Instagram: Mr.LJWhisky

My third and last Jura for this round! This dram is comprised of two different malts. One peated and one none peated. While this is a no age statement the whisky is supposedly 13-21 years old. Definitely a sweet nose with honey, some notable smoke and spices. The palate has a foundation of that promised peat, but only lightly as intended. It also has a hint of oak and then plenty of spices. I'd say the burn is mild for 43% ABV. Quite pleasant and oily finish with again a gentle amount of peat smoke and all spice. Noting off with some medicinal pine and some salt. Out of the three from the travel retail exclusive pack that I got, this was the better one! Instagram: Mr.LJWhisky

My second travel retail Jura and this is also by now discontinued to give way for another 10yo of theirs. This one had a palpable nose of blossoms and orchard fruits, mainly autumn apple. The fumes were more gentle with this one. On the palate there was a quick but full feel of hazelnut and then oak which is then joined by plenty of cereal notes and malted barley. Finish continued with some more cereal notes and dark chocolate, rounded off with a hint of tannins, that orchard apple and salt. Rather light spirit and the notes are also light. Instagram: Mr.LJWhisky