White Oak Akashi Single Malt

Like a Japanese Laphroig

Caramel, Spicy, Fruit, Phenols, Sherry, Apple, Apricot, Vanilla, Herbs

Very spicy and smoky on the palate. Finishes hot yet Caramel-y.

Nose: Battenberg cake, strawberry pencils, something herbal and savoury I can’t really figure out that sits right below the surface and hits right at the back of the nose, almost like those plastic-y paper tablecloths at Imperial Palace or the smell of the grocery store below it. A bit of jasmine to it, fennel, paint. Palate: smokier than expected, like lapsang. Definitely savoury on the first few sips, a little bit of smoked meat but more of an ashy spent bonfire smoke. Tastes very earthy and organic, mossy. Bit of a butterscotch roundness in the background, but more about the savoury notes for me. Slight bit of coffee maybe? Milk bottle candies. Drying. Finish: dark to milk chocolate with that wafting earthy smoke, maybe a bit of cooked apple. Overall: really interesting and unusual one for me, loved those earthy smoky notes on the palate that I wasn’t expecting. The weird, slightly sickly nose threw me for a loop - had elements of Springbank funk to it at times, and that’s the closest comparison I can think of. Slightly sweet pukey note you get on a springbank, like someone’s eaten Battenberg cake and tossed it back up.

Big smokiness, peat, spicy, plus a subtle sweetness. A bunch of oak at the end leaving your mouth dry looking for another taste. A bit of alcohol heat as well in the middle but lacking some sustenance