Nikka Yoichi 10 Year

I feel like this is a "new" whisky but reviews confuse me with dates. I assume this came out in the last 2 years, I guess again. So this is a new release. 150 bucks...I'll let people process that. Nose - smoked vinegar apples over coal, followed by honey and sugar. Then the light oak notes come through, showing signs of mild age here. It's both a bit odd and lovely. As it opens the pie crust and lovely dessert notes spread and we have a really nice whisky. Taste - This isn't going to be for most whisky drinkers. It's funky and weird. It's youthful, coal forward, peated, and doesn't have a sweet hook. It's also bringing apples, some sweet and sour notes with lovely coal smoke over mineral peat in the best of ways. Lemon lime, smoked chocolate oak...it's cool. counter point - proof is low and that's not great. It's a bit thin at times. Double counter point - finish is still pretty darn long and it works. 2.50 from me. I really like this one. Worth 150? Maybe...but I paid shipping so I over paid.

The nose starts with lightly smoked salmon topped with a squeeze of lemon and lime juice then dark chocolate covered sea salt caramels and espresso followed by caramelized mangoes, mildly sour pineapple and kiwi that transitions to sandalwood, ginger and polished oak with low ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with creamy tropical fruits before a moderate spice that slowly fades to charred vegetation, dark chocolate covered caramels and espresso then mildly soured fruits of pineapple, apricots and lychee that transitions to moderate baking spices, sandalwood and mildly bitter black tea with low ethanol burn. The finish is medium length starting with creamy tropical fruits that fade to the background of a mild ashy smoke, dark chocolate and black tea. Overall, an enjoyable albeit slightly underwhelming dram that the smoke is subtle with a balance of creamy fruits and mild spices on the nose that fails to deliver the same balance on the palate with the smoke becoming more dominant with a charred vegetal bitterness that overpowers the fruits before the finish that starts promising with creamy fruits before mild bitter smoky ash and over-steeped tea take hold. This was the 2022 release, so I'm not sure if the quality is different compared to older releases, but at around $175+ if you can find them, I'd pass on this one as there are many drams I like far more for less.

상당히 피트한 일본 위스키. 하쿠슈 12랑 비교 시음 했는데 훨씬 내 취향. 동양의 느낌과 피트향의 조화가 신기로운 듯.