Hatozaki Japanese Blended Whisky

Tastes like water with mild background flavor of 100 proof alcohol. Maybe some hints of rice water

Solid whiskey. A bit sweet of a honey like taste. Easy to drink.

My favorite Japanese whiskey so far.

Cereal, grass, lemon. Smooth flavor that appears in waves. Nice burn

Cereal at the end. Heavy burn

Apricot sugar

First Japanese whisky I've tried, although apparently it may not actually be all Japanese whisky. My bottle says "Finest Japanese Whisky" which according to the Distiller info is the same as this listing. The smell is pretty subdued, a gentle malt/grain scent, a bit of honey, and a whiff of smoke. The taste has more malt and creamy sweetness, along with some slightly briny notes. and moves into a tangy finish with a medicinal aspect that reminds me of peated Scotch, but again in a very muted form. It's overall very gentle and smooth, with no bold attention-grabbing elements to speak of. Within that realm, it's enjoyable and satisfying. When I first tried it, it reminded me of the Faultline blended Scotch that I reviewed a couple months ago, so I did a side-by-side tasting of the two. They have many of the same smell and taste components (peat smoke, creamy flavor and texture, a hint of honey), but overall the Faultline has all those flavors in stronger, punchier form, whereas they are more attenuated in this Hatozaki. I was given this as an xmas gift and at that price (i.e., free) I'd drink it again and again. Looking at prices online, though, it appears this goes for about $40 a bottle, and I definitely wouldn't pay that much for it. I'll enjoy the rest of this bottle and it makes me want to keep an eye out for other Japanese whiskies, but it's not something I'd seek out specifically in the future.