Yamazaki 12 Year

Buttery pocorn

There is a sweet and spicy middle. There are some floral notes that fades into a mild spiced finish that lingers. Similar to the best whiskies out of Taiwan. On the sweeter side, but we’ll balanced overall.

I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to get around to this one. It’s one of the staples of Japanese whisky, and is one of those bottles you’d see if any movie with a generic whisky bar lineup. It’s certainly got the reputation; what’s left to see if the quality can match it. Nose: D’Anjou pear and Granny Smith apple. pear. Golden raisin and apricot. Toffee, vanilla, caramel, and honey. Cocoa. Toasted almond. All touch of clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Blackberry, golden raisin, apricot, apple. Toasted almond, honey, caramel, and vanilla. Light and delicate milk chocolate with some orange/clementine. Honeydew. The dried cranberries you find in trail mix. A little cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Dried apricot and cocoa. More of the D’Anjou pear with some apple. Orange and clementine. Toasted almond and cocoa. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. Moderate length. This is a damn fine whisky. Does it live up to its reputation? Yes and no. Yamazaki 12 is one of the most well-known whiskies on the planet. It’s one of those bottles that has an arbitrary retail value, due in no small part to that stellar reputation. I only paid $110 for this, but I regularly see it for $150-$200. At the former price, this is a fine value. The latter ranges from highly-overpriced to highway robbery. With all that in mind, I’m going to give price less weight than I normally do. It’s solid from start to finish. The hype is above and beyond, but if I hadn’t heard of this one before, I would’ve found this to be a highly unique and satisfying experience. I prefer not to let the opinions of the masses influence my experience with a whisky, for better or worse. 4/5, for a damn good effort by Suntory.

Sweet and baking spices up front. A bit thin, but the spices bloom and multiply. Very aromatic.

It’s been a while since I had this, and it seems to get better with each tasting. Vanilla and honey are more noticeable up front, and the smokiness that I noted earlier is more of a peaty flavor. Very good.