Suntory Kakubin

Great for Highballs

Japanese whisky tasting evening, Sydney 28 March 18, Whisky #1 Nose: Cereal and ethanol, lightly fragrant with some faint, delicate fruit notes. There is a touch of honey and vanilla but it has no complexity. Palate: Straightforward, soft arrival focused on cereal notes supported by a little sweetness and very mild spice (ginger? cinnamon?). There is very little development apart from some faint citrus and honey, and the texture is thin. Finish: Short. The mild cereal/fruit character dissipates into a spirity aftertaste with traces of vanilla and mint, but there is no bitterness and no metallic notes. If I tasted this blind I would mistake it for a bottom-shelf blended Irish whiskey or grain-dominated blended scotch. The palate is clean and crisp but of no great interest, the finish is short and unremarkable and you can clearly taste the presence of a lot of grain whisky (but to be fair it is of good quality). It's best used as a mixer in a highball which I believe is the classic way of using it in Japan. This was "whisky zero" of the night - the palate cleanser to set the scenery for the whiskies to follow. In that capacity it worked well but I would not buy a bottle. “Adequate” : 70/100 (2 stars)