The Yamazaki Single Malt Japanese Whisky (100th Anniversary Edition)

Fresh from Japan! Thanks for sharing Grant! Nose: having this out of a rocks glass so moderately diminished nosing ability. Fruity, sherry, malt. Palate: sweet, smooth, fruity. Sherry. Nice wood elements, mizunara spice. Its definitely got some younger malt notes that I don't normally get to see in Yamazaki's over here in the US. Finish: oak spice and tannin.

One of my coworkers bravely risked bringing several bottles of this back from his recent trip to Japan, despite the wrath and common incompetency of the TSA. I haven't had but a glass or two here and there of Japanese whisky, so I'm quite ignorant on any of the country's or region's specific nuances. This particular bottle confused me for a while, as I didn't know how to best record it on Distiller. The appearance of the bottle and most of the label seem like that of the Distiller's Reserve, but these words are nowhere on the bottle or box, even after translating the Japanese text. Further research shows that Suntory only released 2 different 100th anniversary variants of The Yamazaki, a 12 year and an 18 year, whereas neither age statement appears anywhere on this labeling. Because, by all accounts, this could potentially be a different product, I added it with the 100th anniversary edition labeling, even though this is likely a regional or language difference on the packaging. Despite all this, I'm hopeful to see how The Yamazaki really stacks up, as it's one of Suntory's biggest money maker products, if not the overall ringer. As is almost universally the case, being rare or expensive does not guarantee that it's good, and this gets no quarter just for being hard to find or deeply overpriced. Nonetheless, with almost no knowledge of Japanese whisky to go off of, and almost no idea of exactly what this product is, the door is wide open for the possibilities. I've always found European and the very few Asian whiskys that I've had to have a very light color, no matter how long they've been aged, likely due to the use of secondary barreling as opposed to most American whiskeys. Still, the gold hue to this product is slightly more aggressive and almost darker than most other eastern whiskys that I've had, which increases the interest since the age of this isn't quite known. Even though the proof is very light, the ethanol carries the slightly sour malt to the nose with a decent concentration to it. The sourness is the most prominent (like from a green apple), with very small notes of charcoal, honey, toffee, caramel, biscuit, and vanilla behind it, but nothing quite jumping out past the sour. The initial flavor is malty with a touch of bitterness, similar to the flavor of charcoal filtered American whiskeys. Honey is tasted shortly after this, with a nice balance of floral notes alongside it, almost specifically some honeysuckle. Some light toffee, biscuit, vanilla, and caramel are trying to interject, but the sweetness isn't able to get through, leaving the malt to come back on the finish with a bit more bitterness and a dry body. The proof remains low enough to continue sipping without pause, but the flavors continue pushing hard like spirits of 110 proof or more usually do. I will say this: although I have not had much in the way of Japanese whisky, I have had a good share of single malt whisky to compare it to, mostly from Europe. However, since most of the European single malt that I purchase is heavily peated, it takes away from the flavors of just the base grain. This may be the first, or perhaps just the best, painted picture of a single malt whiskey that I've had so far, with the grain flavors being prominent, concentrated, yet still approachable. I know that Suntory treats The Yamazaki as it's "white glove" distillery, but I refuse to believe that a similar flavor can't be achieved by other single malt distillers worldwide, and for a much cheaper price tag. Like most rarities and the brands that produce them, it's never worth hunting for, let alone going through the secondary or tertiary markets that are usually the only outlets for such products. As is most important, though, the taste is delicious and is a welcome return when I have a single malt desire, but I won't treat this as a treasure, and will add it to and drink it from my collection as any good enthusiast should.