Yamazaki 12 Year

Not much finish but floral and just the right amount of bite. Bit sweet

Nose - lemon, grapefruit, apricot, fig, floral and fungal notes, cinnamon, honey, vanilla, toffee, white wine, earthy mint, walnut, milk chocolate, white pepper, orange, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - grapefruit zest, lemon, fig, apricot, plum, ginger, light caramel, honey, vanilla, floral notes, buttery cinnamon, orange, mint, chili pepper, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with citrus zest, honeyed fruits, and floral flavors. Before I knew anything about whisky, I knew that Pappy Van Winkle and Yamazaki were fancy. So a year ago when I saw that a few Virginia ABC stores near me had some in stock for the screaming deal of $113 a bottle, I snagged one. What a colossal waste of money that was. And still there are people torching over $200 for the opportunity to buy a bottle. The nose is light, citrusy, floral, and a tad fungal. Some of those sherried and honeyed fruit aromas come through as well, but it’s generally mild, pleasant, and frankly boring. The palate is about the same. A pinprick of mint, ginger, and pepper add some intrigue, but it’s mostly more floral, honey, and citrus flavors from the mid palate through to the short, underwhelming finish. Here’s the thing. It’s not bad whisky. It would actually be pretty decent whisky at $30 or even $40 a bottle. But this comes in at well over $100 in most markets, and there’s zero value to be found at that price. If you’re new to whisky and enamored by the mystique of Yamazaki, don’t make the same mistake I did. If you want a good Japanese whisky without breaking the bank, buy a bottle of Nikka from the Barrel and you’ll get a much better bang for your buck. I’m sure there are other good Japanese whisky values, but they’re few and far between in my experience. If you really want to try the Yamazaki, order it at a bar for a nominal fee and raise a toast to making good financial decisions.

Taste: Toasted marshmallow. Faint peatiness. Wet cardboard (in a weirdly good way). A hint of strawberry. Incredibly smooth. Light bodied. Smell: Vanilla with just a hint of ethanol tingle Look: Dark golden