Hakushu 12 Year

Whoa...this is amazing. This is just the perfect amount of peat followed up with pear sweetness and quite a bit of spice. This is my second Japanese whisky after Hibiki harmony. I am very impressed.

Excellent!

These notes are from memory (finished the bottle perhaps nine months ago). Although Distiller's flavor profile disagrees, I found the dominant notes of this whiskey to be floral or herbal in nature, in a way that's hard to define with reference to another flavor (pine may be the closest analogue). I'm not sure if it's a product of the unique types of wood they aged this in, but it's an unusual note that I can't recollect experiencing in another whiskey. The finish is also a little rough and harsh, surprisingly so compared to Yamazaki 12 or other Japanese whiskey staples (actually seemed harsher than the higher ABV Nikka Whisky from the Barrel to my palate). I am not the biggest fan of this one, although it is undeniably complex and worth trying.

Very smooth, sweet with just the right amount of peat. This is underrated IMHO and now that it appears to be readily available again at a reasonable price I recommend trying it if you see it.

Gentle smoke light peat on the nose sweet green fruit crisp sea salt white pepper japanese mazunara oak on the finish. very complex for a 12 yr old. Found a second bottle for safe keeping.