DrRHCMadden
Hakushu Distiller's Reserve
Single Malt — Japan
Reviewed
April 15, 2022 (edited July 17, 2022)
Tasted side by side with the Hakushu 12
N: Apple juice! Cucumber, tiny hint of peppermint similar to peppermint tea bags.
P: herbaceous, crisp, smoke is apparent. Something citrusy sings about. Bright and punchy/vibrant but perhaps short lived for each note.
F: herbal and fresh, soft rounded smoke, a little prickly with a background of green apple.
At $160 this bottle is delicious and delivers mouthwatering flavours. A whisky that actually made me salivate a little from its fresh vibrancy. Whilst the flavours are a little bold and punchy and bordering on short lived, this whisky is exciting.
The interesting thing here comes from comparison to the 12 year old Hakushu. The Hakushu 12 is definitely excellent. The extra time in the barrel ties everything up wonderfully, softening and integrating the flavours , but tasting the 12 at the same time as the DR leaves me wondering if the 12 has replaced bold and exciting flavours with subtlety and nuance; to its detriment. The 12, to me, just isn’t as exciting no matter how good it is.
At $160 for the DR and a whopping $450 for the 12 I am hard pushed to say the 12 is worth the extra cash. Sure, it’s superior but is it as enjoyable? I’m inclined to say no. The 12 doesn’t have the vibrancy on the nose of the DR and that Apple juice is just so good, the zingy DR flavours that pop out are exciting and refreshing and has me going back for more. The 12 does though have the slightest salty brine note in the finish (think laphroig) that is exquisite, I looked for it in the DR but couldn’t find it.
The 12 is definitely something to try, but when my bottle empties if it gets replaced it will be with a DR even though I score it lower.
Distiller whisky taste #23
160.0
AUD
per
Bottle
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review
@DrRHCMadden The discontinued Taketsuru Pure Malt is a tad weaker than the new expression (they changed the recipe, there is more Yoichi in the blend now). Sharing bottles is always a good option to taste whisky you might not be willing to buy a whole bottle of.
@Slainte-Mhath thanks for the input. So I am nearing the end of a bottle of Pure Malt (the discontinued one). Something must have been very wrong with me, as for the majority of the bottle I got nothing from it. Now, since having the Hakushu I find so much exciting about it, including an Apple Juice nose! No idea why I failed to get the flavours and aromas before. I think the special thing about the Y12 is the Japanese oak casks, not sure I want to spend 350 for it either though…. Instead I just got the Arran Trio of cask finishes for a cool 270! Maybe I can convince my neighbour to get the Y12, he did get through half my H12 after all! (Good neighbours share their collections it seems!)
@DrRHCMadden Great review! @cascode raised a good question, which is hard to answer. I have some 30-40 Japanese whiskies in my collection, but 90% of these I would not buy at current prices. Here are some suggestions what you could try: 1. Taketsuru Pure Malt, a blended malt of Miyagikyo and Yoichi (you can also buy them individually, they are both decent). I would prefer Taketsuru over Nikka From the Barrel, as Nikka admitted that the latter does not qualify as 'Japanese whisky' (there might be some Ben Nevis in there). 2. Ichiro's Double Distilleries, a blended malt of Chichibu and Hanyu. Don't expect much Hanyu in here, but it is a very good sipper. Not cheap though, and probably hard to find. 3. Yamazaki 12, as mentioned by cascode. I have 6 bottles in my stash, that says a lot. I rated Yamazaki 12 with 90 points, Yamazaki 18 with 92 points. I visited the distillery twice and think their 12-year-old does capture everything the brand stands for. It's not cheap, and I would not pay $350 for a bottle. The DR is also an option, but note that it does not have the Mizunara cask influence, which makes the 12 a winner. Hope that helps!
@DrRHCMadden As it’s not one of my particular interests I tend to overlook reviews of Japanese whiskies but I recall @Slainte-Mhath mentioning recently that he is currently focusing on them, and I’m sure @PBMichiganWolverine has tasted more than a few. That’s just two that spring to mind but others will weigh in here I’m sure.
@cascode thanks good Sir! Cheapest I see is $350, maybe the distillers reserve is the place to start. Any recommendations for Distiller accounts worth following for Japanese tastes?
@DrRHCMadden Ah, good question nowadays. Once, yes without doubt - it’s a fine whisky, but since about 5 years ago it is hard to find and absurdly expensive. I wouldn’t pay current prices myself, but there are folks around here who know a lot more about Japanese whiskies than I and could give better advice.
@cascode quite probably then! Is that worth an explore?
@DrRHCMadden No, I have not reviewed any Hakushu. I’ve only reviewed a handful ofJapanese whiskies - maybe you’re thinking of Yamasaki 12?
@cascode have you compared the DR and the 12. I can’t seem to find your 12 review (I seem to recall you did one).