Japanese whiskies are strange to me. Age statement releases are rare and expensive. The NAS releases that have replaced them are just trash, and there is nothing in between. At one point, I had both a Yamazaki 12 and a Hakushu 12 bottle open. The Yamazaki is easier to approach, and has more mass appeal; it has completely disappeared off the shelves except at prices around $200. The Hakushu 12 is ultimately more complex, arguably better, and if you go treasure hunting at ghetto liquor stores in Maryland, you can still occasionally see bottles in the $80-100 range. At the fancier stores, they are also $200, if they have them at all. These aged Japanese whiskies are simply better than Scotch. In the last blind tasting I tried with the Hakushu 12, it went up against a Kilkerren 12, Glen Grant 18, and a Gordon MacPhail Mortlach 25. The Hakushu won, and the only whisky that came close was the Mortlach, a $250 bottle. On the nose, the Japanese whisky felt like a whole dimension ahead of its Scottish competition; like comparing being in a forest with a picture of a forest. I do not believe in terroir, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t start to think about fresh green forests when nosing Hakushu 12. This whisky is clean and crisp, but also bold. It greets your nose with a floral, sweet embrace and takes you on a complex journey of scents. You do not have to search around; the aromas reach out and grab you. The palate is weaker, but still delightful. Peat smoke has never been this well integrated. A floral, heathery peat is definitely present if you know to expect it; but someone who hates peat will drink this and never know that it is peated. Maybe a Rosebank has a similar style, but these are way harder to come by, and more expensive. So, complain as we might about the prices for these Japanese whiskies, but you really can’t get a better whisky with a similar style for cheaper. Score: ** (unimaginably good) How much does a bottle cost: $80-200 How much do I think a bottle is worth: $200