Hakushu Distiller's Reserve

Light, floral and smooth. It has a great potential but should have been kept longer in the cask. At this price point there are much better choices on the Scotch side.

Tasted side by side with the Hakushu 12 N: Apple juice! Cucumber, tiny hint of peppermint similar to peppermint tea bags. P: herbaceous, crisp, smoke is apparent. Something citrusy sings about. Bright and punchy/vibrant but perhaps short lived for each note. F: herbal and fresh, soft rounded smoke, a little prickly with a background of green apple. At $160 this bottle is delicious and delivers mouthwatering flavours. A whisky that actually made me salivate a little from its fresh vibrancy. Whilst the flavours are a little bold and punchy and bordering on short lived, this whisky is exciting. The interesting thing here comes from comparison to the 12 year old Hakushu. The Hakushu 12 is definitely excellent. The extra time in the barrel ties everything up wonderfully, softening and integrating the flavours , but tasting the 12 at the same time as the DR leaves me wondering if the 12 has replaced bold and exciting flavours with subtlety and nuance; to its detriment. The 12, to me, just isn’t as exciting no matter how good it is. At $160 for the DR and a whopping $450 for the 12 I am hard pushed to say the 12 is worth the extra cash. Sure, it’s superior but is it as enjoyable? I’m inclined to say no. The 12 doesn’t have the vibrancy on the nose of the DR and that Apple juice is just so good, the zingy DR flavours that pop out are exciting and refreshing and has me going back for more. The 12 does though have the slightest salty brine note in the finish (think laphroig) that is exquisite, I looked for it in the DR but couldn’t find it. The 12 is definitely something to try, but when my bottle empties if it gets replaced it will be with a DR even though I score it lower.

하큐슈 dr 3.9 곡물, 피트 , 좀더 전통전인 스타일 좀더 묵직하고 자기주장이 있음 피트, 입을 감싸는 땡초 같은 매움 청사과 후미도 나름 만족 약간 어린느낌이 섞어있는거 빼곤 좋았는데 먹으면 먹을수록 별 매력 없음 조니 블랙보다 살짝 나은정도

On the nose: sweet, herbal, floral and lemon. The alcohol smell is present. In the mouth: sweet, light and watery Finish: very special kind. Malty yet the herbal is still there, sweet. A standard lasting finish

Good but nowhere near the 12 year. I paid somewhere around $100 total including tax etc to get this shipped to me. I ain’t paying $200 for a 12 year, sorry Hakushu 12… I’ve tried the 12 year and it’s excellent. One of my favorites for sure but I wouldn’t pay more than $70-80 for a 12 year(Edradour 12 Caledonia being the exception). This distillers reserve has a pretty nose but it’s young. Citrus mist with distant peat instantly hits you. An alcohol note is also very present hinting that the dram is young. Mint and licorice along with a vegetable note. The palate provides the same stuff as the nose with a hint of vanilla and is fast gone. I’d give this somewhere in the mid to low 80 point mark like an 83. Definitely not worth the money I paid but I was craving Hakushu after some period of time. Maybe in about 5-10 years this will be regularly available worldwide at $40-60. At $40-60 max id pick it up. A lot of good stuff coming soon from Japan especially after 2024 when the rules take full affect.