Fukano Whisky (2017 Edition)

warm going down, very pleasant taste

The pleasing aroma of oak welcomes you to something familiar but halfway through your swallow you enjoy the sweet taste of wine that finishes each gulp you can afford of this spirit, as it is expensive, but your mouth will tell you to keep buying more.

Wonderfully light whiskey which leads itself well to be drunk neat. A light pure sake and cherry blossom on the nose with a slight toastyness. Flavor profile is vanilla, pepper, and plum with some floral notes in there. Definitely a very unique whiskey but maybe not the most interesting.

Fukano Distillery Whisky 2017 Edition FINAL SCORE 80/100 Vital Statistics: Distillery/Blender: Fukano Distillery Category: Japanese Whisky Age Statement: NAS Proof: 85.6 Mash bill/blend: 100% Rice Tasting Date: 04/14/2018 Nose: 18/20 Honey, Jasmine, Shingo. Kumquat orangey-fruit character that transitions to a tropical jackfruit as it sits. Reminiscent of the warm rocks of a hotspring. So much jasmine and orange blossom. It’s like a mochi house, with lots of rice scent. Slight iodine. Initial Taste: 12/15 Alcohol warmth and very noticeably heady eand estery… but it lets through bright and zesty orange blossom and jasmine, as well as black pu erh tea sweetened with mild summer honey. Body/Mouthfeel: 7/10 Very light, but with a sweet oak intensity that keeps it from being thin, and remains interesting on the palate. Water doesn’t help. Hot water makes this a dream to enjoy and blooms forth a creamy texture. Taste: 14/15 Some chewing reveals sansho peppercorn, floral and citric terpenes. The heat makes it difficult to pull other notes that hide within. Water reveals soft flesh of delicate lychee… But serving oyuwari style with 150 Farenheit water makes this a flavor explosion! The jasmine blasts out, bringing with it chrysanthemum and the deep nuances of a well-aged pu erh tea. Super complex. Finish: 15/20 Super dry. And yet, it does give you a pleasing Kentucky hug… more appropriately, a red face?? Barrel spice is big time through the entirety of the finish. Very low char, but there’s a light toast character. New and young wood. Again, giving this some hot water, it doesn’t lengthen the finish much, but it does make the finish silky and creamy, and allows the fresh and soft lychee fruit notes to persist until the end. Value: 6/10 This is hard to value. It’s super unique in the market, but at the same time, for in the $70 arena, its drinkability on any occasion and the necessity of hot water on serving make this much less accessible. Overall: 8/10 Overall, this is hard to evaluate, being such a unique whiskey. If you like good sake, this will definitely be a pleasure. Oyuwari style serving is a must. It diverges greatly from most other whiskey categories and profiles. Given a chance, and taking into account it’s unique position, I must say, it is very good, and quite memorable; it might not stand against similar single malts at its price point, but if you’re looking for the certain floral notes this whisky bears, you would be wont to find them elsewhere in such a composed package.

Having a very difficult time calling this a whisky. I'm going with barrel aged sake here. The floral presence is not just on the nose but the palate as well. Lots of tropical and botanical notes, lending way to hints of oak. Two people I shared this with said it reminded them of Chardonnay, another one who's not a whisky fan said they could see themselves drinking this.