Tenjaku
NOSE: Reminds me of a good quality Blended Malt. Buttery, New Leather, Vanilla. Light "Green" notes: Green Tea, Grapes, Granny Smith Apples, and Pears. Dive deep and pick up Orange and Grapefruit Juice. There is kind of a "Dry" character. Dried Malt, Dry White Wine all backed with a hint of Smoke.
NEAT: Front of the palate is excellent. Leather, Malted Grain, Vanilla Custard, along with some of those "Green" notes from the nose. The finish is a chameleon. Maybe just depending on where it hits the tongue? Some sips end with a Burnt Smoky Vanilla, while others lean toward a Slightly Sour Bitter note. Eventually the Burnt Vanilla wins out. There is a nice Sweet,Tingly coating that gains a touch of Dark Roast Coffee over time.
SPLASH: Really makes the Creamy Buttery note on the nose pop. Palate loses a bit of the complexity, but is still very good. Some Wood notes emerge on the finish.
VERDICT: Very "Glen" (Livet or Fiddich) like. At $40 this will be a repeat buy for me. Better on its own than the similarly priced Toki. Good enough for "special occasions" with friends/family, but won't break the bank.
40.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@BDanner Toki in place of sake. There’s an idea
@CKarmios I like the Toki as well. It is one of my go-to's in warmer weather using their highball recipe (although I usually make it a little stouter). Decent neat as well and though I'm sure it's mostly subliminal, it pairs excellent with Sushi or Asian food.
Oh absolutely, got you the first time ;-) Found another one now at that same shop: Suntory Toki at US$40. Again, I know nothing about it, more pot luck?
@CKarmios I agree 100% on Drink Hacker. I was just pointing out that the term “purported to be” was the phrasing of the reviewer and not the distillery.
@BDanner I find Drinkhacker informative and reliable with its information. @PBMichiganWolverine I bought the 70cl bottle for €28 (US$33). But you're right, I did do a doubletake when I saw the price; thinking about it now I may just go back there and buy a six pack. Xmas is just around the corner
@BDanner if it’s distilled in JPN, $40 is a damn good price.
@PBMichiganWolverine “purports” is actually the reviewers language, not the distillery’s. The company states that all whiskey used is distilled, aged, and blended in Japan. The reviewer (Christopher Null) then goes on to give it a B- or 7 1/2 out of 10. I thought for $40, it was a decent whiskey wherever it came from.
@CKarmios that word “purports” sounds fishy...noncommittal. I should give it the benefit of doubt and take its word for it, but that price tag of $40 doesn’t square up with a fully Japan distilled item.
@PBMichiganWolverine I had also wondered and did some research before buying it. Here's a relevant quote from one of the sources "The latest of these is Tenjaku, a mystery blend — of both single malt and corn-heavy grain whiskies — that purports to be entirely distilled and aged in Japan."
Any idea if this Is really Japanese, or is it US / Scottish but just with a Japanese label?
I can see you had fun with it. What a find, right?