Charles Dickens began _A Tale of Two Cities_ thusly: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” And so it is this evening with my Yamazaki 12. My Distiller app shows that I have two bottles in inventory (additionally, I remember all of my bottles). I have one of the older bottles in the off-white box, which had already been opened, as well as an unopened bottle in the newer, dark box. And each was purchased for less than $100 (I see them occasionally for $200+). That’s the good news. The bad news is that I’m unable to find the older, opened bottle—and that never happens! So I reluctantly opened the newer bottle. First-world problems, I know. Clear amber. Nose of warm pineapple upside-down cake and peach cobbler, with both fruity and bready components. Inviting palate, neither thin nor overtly viscous, but gently trending toward the latter. A bit austere on the back end. 43% ABV. I’ve had each of Suntory’s 12-year old single malts: Hakushu, Hibiki, and Yamazaki. Of course, Hibiki 12 is no longer available. I purchased several before the supply ran out. H12 had an incredible candied orange nose and didn’t stop through the palate to the finish; it was also more weighty in the mouth. I say this given the Yamazaki craziness in the market—I suppose some of that may be due to the unavailability of H12—but offhand, I think I prefer the NAS Hibiki Harmony to the Y12. (I’m out of the former at the moment and should do a side-by-side tasting). The Y12 peaks on the nose, and is a gentle downhill from there. Good, not great, and there are certainly better values in Japanese whisky. I much prefer Nikka Whisky From The Barrel, which is significantly higher ABV (51.4% vs Y12 43.0%), wonderfully complex, more widely available (in CT, my neck of the woods), and generally over $100 less. 3.75 on the Distiller scale. N.B. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.