Slainte-Mhath
Yamazaki Limited Edition 2015
Single Malt — Japan
Reviewed
November 11, 2018 (edited January 17, 2019)
Prices for Japanese whiskies have skyrocketed in recent years, and bottles like the Yamazaki Limited Edition have become as rare as hen's teeth. On the nose, there is a complex bouquet of lush sherry notes, delicate spices and juicy fruits. Sandalwood, incense and hints of matcha interweave with leather, melon and distant plum liqueur. Feisty and aromatic in the arrival, the taste turns fruity-sweet and gingery in the development, always in perfect balance. Cherries, prunes and mild tannins remain in the finish. A great malt, but heavily overpriced.
RATING: 4.2/5.0 stars ≙ 89 pts → FIRST-CLASS [+]
500.0
EUR
per
Bottle
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@Slainte-Mhath That trip sounds awesome. Yeah you are right about the good Japanese stuff...insanely overpriced. The general rule now is if you can afford the Japanese whisky it's unlikely to be great!
@PBMichiganWolverine @SolanaRoots I was lucky enough to taste this malt at a festival, and I even got an extra sample. I'd certainly NOT spend 500 € to buy a bottle of this, hell no! Enjoying Japanese whiskies has become more difficult than ever, there are too much fake-Japanese whiskies on the shelves, taken from Scotland to Japan for bottling or some extra maturation. The 'real stuff' is outrageously expensive, if you can find it at all. Next year, I will travel Japan and visit Yamazaki, Hakushu, Chichibu, Miyagikyo and Fuji Gotemba, hoping to pick up some new bottles while I am there...
@Slainte-Mhath It’s a general shame that Japanese whiskey is out of touch to the average joe. Unless you are in a secret society of underground nature, most of us will never be able to taste these. I do hope that changes in the future. (...and steps down from soapbox).
Additional comment: This review is for Yamazaki Limited Edition 2015, and there were annual releases from 2014-17. In 2018, Suntory stopped to release this special bottling and it remains uncertain if it will be continued in the future.
Excellent review @Slainte-Mhath - love Yamazaki bottles but so hard to find now. Hadn’t seen the 12 year on the shelf for a good eight months...finally saw recently at an eye-popping price
@Slainte-Mhath it’s too bad they stopped making these too. Last was 2017.