Ichiro's Malt Wine Wood Reserve

Japanese whisky tasting evening, Sydney 28 March 18, Whisky #6. Nose: Berry scented bubblegum or gummy sweets (or jelly babies). A soft licorice aroma that morphs into a charred smoky note. Palate: Soft and richly elegant arrival, red fruits, orchard fruits, sweet mulled red wine, berries, hazelnuts and almonds, a slight coconut note. Milk chocolate and some well-handled and subtle oak tannins. Finish: Medium/long. Sweet grains and berries. A touch of mild anise, nutmeg and allspice. The nose on this is instantly attention grabbing – but in a good way? I’m not sure. It is intensely berry-driven to the point of almost being a parody of a wine-finish nose. It’s so overwhelming I nearly laughed out loud at the first sniff. The palate was, for me, better than the nose. It’s more subtle and the sweet fruity flavours are balanced by nutty cocoa. It’s so confectionery it almost veers towards tasting like a bar of fruit and nut milk chocolate, but the slight oaky presence saves it from going too far and introduces a touch of spice just in time. Water just softens it but brings out nothing new. An interesting vatted whisky rather than a really good one. In comparison to the grain and blended whiskies we had tasted previously in the evening it was clearly a superior dram, but then they brought out the Yamazaki 12 and it was immediately eclipsed. I’d still recommend this as an experiment – it’s certainly worth a taste - but I wouldn’t buy a bottle as it is quite expensive. It costs the same as Yamazaki 12, but it is nowhere near as good. A hard one to rate. It’s right on the border between “good” and “very good”. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)