Nikka Yoichi 12 Year

I am not 100% on board the Japanese whiskey train. Due to the recent explosion in their cost, driven by demand that leapt tenfold in the last few years, all of these bottles are getting hard to find. Ten years ago, however, these were the Ardbeg 10s or Balvenie DoubleWood's of Japan, and it's worth keeping that in mind. Once revered for being an underappreciated gem or good value, Japanese whiskies now tend to command the kind of prices that would fetch an older scotch from the finest distilleries in Scotland. If the choice is between a 12-year old Japanese whiskey or a 15-year old scotch, those extra three years are going to make a big difference. In Yoichi 12's case, the experience felt like getting yeoman's work after being promised the attention of a master artisan. This whiskey has an air of vinegar to it or a fruit wine, and a palate of Southern tea, plums, and a mellow, herbal peat. There's still a tingling, ethanol edge, so it's safe to say that the older age statement Yoichis should be better (not that those are easy to find nowadays). The smoke from the peat reveals itself at the very end. Not worth the current price, this is worth maybe $50 a bottle in my book.