Hakushu 18 Year

First impression summary: Refined nose, refined palate, decent finish…a classic.

Floral and fruity on the nose. Palate immediately opens to woody notes. Moderate finish with strong notes of cinnamon and barrel spice. Would drink this a lot if it were affordable!

Green Apple, Lime

There are some whiskies you just have to try in your lifetime, because of the fame they have, their followers, their overall hype. You just have to experience it for yourself. That is why, everytime there is a chance to try something that is really a renowned dram, you just cant miss the opportunity. Having said that, i have tasted the mythical Hakushu 18yo, a single malt that is harder to come by (and pay) with each day that passes. Hakushu is the "Speysider" expression of Suntory, while i tend to perceive Yamazaki as a Sherry-Highland one. I have had some Hakushus before, i liked them, but i already have built this paradigm that i am going to encounter some heavy fruitiness here and no special, breathtaking aroma and tasting notes. Bottled at 43%abv, a solid burnished gold color. On the nose, it is SUPER fruity. Yes, i used caps lock on that one. Yellow apples; Very floral, very fruity. A fancy dulce de leche note anda fancy vanilla With some slight citrus notes rising. Oranges, Hay, Fruit salad, fresh fruits. Mimics an aged speysider; It is very aromatic, lots of fruits. Cranberries. After a first sip i got red fruits and lemon. It is lovely on the nose. Everything well delivered, complex an appealing. Kiwi. After a second sip the aroma was fantastic. It is like nosing a bowl of fresh, tropical and classic fruits. Not my preffered type of aroma, but i got to recognize how good it is. Fruits mixed with toffee and dulce de leche. On the palate is a lot more "human" and does not follow the promise from the nose. Apples and spices. It is spicy as soon as it touches your tongue. The spiciness is lovely. Dim vanilla. It has a spicy personality but it is not overly spicy, actually you can hold it for hours. Pears. toffee, and red apples. Aftertaste should be peaty, as promised in the description, but i really did not get it. Dry, hay, dried leaf, not very spicy, it is mouth drying like licking an envelope before closing it. A little, very dim ginger is there. There is this ghostly chocolate feeling glooming everywhere. I dont feel it smokey, nor peaty, but after three sips i did get some powerful, long lasting ginger. Overall, this one is clearly the spirit predominant in the Hibiki blend; it has the same DNA all over it. It is fancy. It is well delivered. Only the nose is complex; it surely works, it is super enjoyable, but my personal preferences are not the super fruity drams. Having said that, any score less than 90 would be unfair for something this good, but i also feel any score over 90 would be an over-evaluation of it. It is clearly why so much people love it, it is pleasant to drink, my score is an accurate 90 over 100 for it. Kanpai!