Suntory Toki

Appearance- light gold/marigold color. Very light and clear Aroma- ethanol forward, slight vanilla, green apple, harsh burn on the nose. Smoke and wood Palate- honey (after sat for a few minutes), very floral and light burn, very sweet. Finish- honey forward, slight coffee, not much burn and some slight spice, white pepper perhaps? It’s not terrible, but not my favorite. I’m not sure I’d buy again but it wasn’t terrible

First taste from a fresh bottle. I have no real expectations for this. I'm anticipating light & sweet, and the pale apple juice pour gives no hint of the opposite. Tasted neat from a glencairn and allowed to rest for several minutes after the pour. The nose is sweet with honey, shortbread, and a bit of biscuit against a backwash of light ethanol. There's not a lot there, but what shows up is benign and inoffensive. There is minimal complexity. I don't want to like the nose, but somehow it just seems inevitable that I'll find it's pleasant. It is. Your taste buds will tell you that the nose over delivers. The simple string of delicate notes on the nose are somehow reduced to a (clean) ethanol, biscuits, dry grain, and a faint vegetable or floral element. This is whiskey flavored vodka. At least that's what my brain keeps saying over and over. This is a mixer. I don't mean that in a bad way. It's not a horrible beverage. But it's definitely designed to be a mixer. It tastes like it should be a mixer, and the next time I pour it into a glass it will be as a mixer.