Hakushu Distiller's Reserve

Fruity nose Fresh taste of spearmint Gentle finish

A little sweet. White pepper finish.

Gentle; pear, apple, and oak, light mint

A really enjoyable dram. Mint, green apple, and pear on the nose carry forward onto the palate where they mix with a moderate and crescendoing peat. Would love to get a bottle of this! #3 in the 2022 Japanese advent calendar.

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. Distiller whisky taste #23