Suntory Toki

First dip in the pond. Remember a delicate honey sweetness. Crowd pleaser. Enjoyed with water.

Smooth. Citrus nose. Citrus and some caramel taste. Good gift

For relaxing times . . . Urine-pale colour here (like, well-hydrated pee, but definitely pee), pretty watery looking in terms of body, and--initially served chilled--a nose that starts with ginger (fresh + pickled) and a decently pleasing fresh herbaciousness. Vanilla. Some pear and peach, a soft minerality. Heather honey, honeycomb, and lilac. Faint milk chocolate. Fresh cut apple flesh. The taste (again, chilled) is mild, sweet, and quite pleasing. More heather honey, vanilla. Mint, fennel, maybe a bit of dill? Just a whisper of smoke. Red apples. Gingery heat right at the swallow and then a blink-and-you-miss-it finish that's hot and slightly woody and not much else. There's a crispness and a cleanness to this spirit that I quite like, and I have to admit that it's made me a believer in a cocktail (the Japanese Highball) that I never would have thought I'd actually enjoy: a crisp, refreshing, cold beverage where the garnish interacts beautifully with the crisp flavours of the whisky itself. It also, despite the lightness and low-ish ABV, plays pretty well over ice (and I say that as someone who generally views whisky on the rocks as sacrilege), bringing out a gentle wood-sap-y sweetness, more citrus, and a nice Asian pear sweetness. Granted, it's a bit overpriced for what you're getting ($55-60 in Canada), but it also has the benefit of being one of the only widely available Japanese whiskies in North America. Certainly worth a try.