Tag Archives: Japanese Whisky

Trip to Japan – Nikka ‘Yoichi’ 10 year 45%

Posted on by
Reply

Next up in our Whisky Ladies evening was a ‘quick trip to Japan!‘ (Pollywood)

Nikka 'Yoichi' 10 year (Whisky Lady)

Nikka ‘Yoichi’ 10 year (Whisky Lady)

Here’s what we found:

  • Nose – Quite masculine at first, though fruity especially a strong apple cinnamon, like a mid-autumn cider. As it opened, became as American as apple pie… naturally with caramel and vanilla ice cream!
  • Taste – Smooth, well-rounded, unmistakably an autumn dram, juniper, pine, apple, a drizzle of honey, a cognac-like quality
  • Finish – Just a hint of spice at the end but overall smooooooth beyond belief! As it aired, even more character emerged.

We concluded this was like autumn in Vancouver… The kind of crisp fall day where you could go for a brisk hike in a tall deep forest then come back and reward yourself with a steaming hot, fresh-from-the-oven fruit pie!

Here’s what the Nikka folks say:

This 10 year old bottling unmistakably carries the Yoichi pedigree, which propelled Japanese whisky to international recognition. Peat notes surround a core of ripe fruit aromas, while a rich texture and underlying power make this the most masculine of Japanese single malts.

By now, most would be familiar with Japan’s popularity on the global whisky scene. Nikka‘s Yoichi distillery in Hokkaido was founded by Masataka Taketsuru in 1934.

The folks over at Nikka describe their distillery as one which :

…produces rich, peaty and masculine malt. The whisky gets its distinct aroma and body from direct heating distillation, in which the pot stills are heated with finely powdered natural coal–the traditional method that is hardly ever used today, even in Scotland.

The adherence to Scottish whisky making traditions is characteristic of the vision set by Taketsuru-San. Credited as the founder of Japanese whisky, Taketsuru studied chemistry and apprenticed at Hazelburn distillery in Scotland before bringing his love of whisky and bonnie Scottish wife – Jessie Roberta “Rita” Cowan – home to Japan in 1920. He built Suntory’s Yamasaki distillery, nurturing its development for a decade before venturing on to found the Nikka brand.

As for our inaugural Whisky Ladies evening?

One remarked it was “A trip around the world and a relationship all in one night!”

Other whiskies sampled during our rollicking session included:

Nikka 'Yoichi' 10 year (Table For One)

Nikka ‘Yoichi’ 10 year (Table For One)

From time to time, you can also find other whisky related updates and activities on:

La Maison du Whisky, Singapore

Posted on by
2

Most trips to Singapore with a bit of time include a stop at La Maison du Whisky for an enjoyable hour spent chatting, sampling and slowly deciding which whisky will make the final ‘cut’ for the journey home to Mumbai.

This June 2015 trip was no exception.

La Maison du Whisky, Singapore (Whisky Lady)

La Maison du Whisky, Singapore (Whisky Lady)

Over the years, the gents there have gained a sense of what we enjoy, what will peak our interest and also what we’ve managed to acquire by other means.

  • Last trip, I showed a spreadsheet tracking our tasting sessions
  • This trip, I could happily show this blog record of our sampling adventures

I’ve shared before how much I appreciate a chance to discover, discuss, sniff and sip before making a final purchasing choice. I prefer to take my time, so deliberately pop by late afternoon when there is more ‘trade traffic’ than ‘customer traffic.’ After all, it isn’t such a bad place to hang around and invariably those that do wander in will lead to an interesting conversational turn or two about a shared passion – whisky and fine spirits.

Our goal this time was:

  • Something that cannot be so easily obtained in London far cheaper… given that I would shortly be traveling there
  • No repeats of previous whiskies
  • At least one in the more mature and complex range
  • As always, an unpredictable ‘twist’ is appreciated

I shared how we enjoyed the Ledaig from an earlier trip and confessed we hadn’t yet opened the one selected late 2014 as it was trumped by my Japanese quartet from Tokyo.

Diego started with a rum, just because he recalled that the Tapatio Excelencia Gran Reserva Extra Anejo tequila was such a hit!

Clarin Vaval 52.5% – Small batch Haiti clear rum from Cavallon village, double distilled from ‘Madame Meuze’ cane sugar in 2013. It was a delightful discovery with overripe fruit, hot, tropical and distinctly different. It was like sunshine in a bottle.

Clarin Vaval (Whisky Lady)

Clarin Vaval (Whisky Lady)

We then moved on to two Compass Box whiskies:

Glasgow Blend (Whisky Lady)

Glasgow Blend (Whisky Lady)

We discussed several other whiskies – including suggestions for my London ‘wish list’. I was sorely tempted by this Hazelburn 8 year 1st bottling…

Hazelburn 8 year (Whisky Lady)

Hazelburn 8 yr (Whisky Lady)

In addition to the whiskies sampled, I’ll admit to sniffing more before finalising my selection for this trip…

What did I pick?

It was the Bunnahabhain 26 years.. part of a special Signatory Session held in February 2016:

Previous reviews sourced via La Maison du Whisky Singapore:

La Maison du Whisky is located at 80 Mohamed Sultan Road, #01-10 The Pier, Singapore
 Tel: 6733 0059

Japanese tasting session – take 2!

Posted on by
3
In February 2015, I shared tasting notes of four delightful Japanese whiskies:
After the 1st session, I had an opportunity to ‘revisit’ with one member (who missed the original tasting) together with his partner (who joined the original tasting) and two new folks.
It was worth doing a 2nd time and this is certainly my preferred practice:
  • Sample with a fresh bottle.
  • Revisit the same bottle after some time – perhaps a slightly different setting – either with new company or solo.
Four key observations from this revisit:
  • Timing is everything! Just as we found in the original session the Taketsuru Pure Malt absolutely needs time to breath, the Chita should be quickly savoured as the complexity settles into a singular note after an hour.
  • Size does matter! We sampled exactly the same whisky in exactly the same Glencairn glass yet there was a dramatic difference whether we were nosing a few drops versus a proper dram. With a small quantity, two of us delightedly exclaiming about discovering prominent overripe banana notes with the Chita whereas those with a fuller glass were puzzled as there was no hint of banana initially. So we exchanged and found the difference in nose remarkable!
  • Open, shut and open again – Cracking open a fresh bottle is a very different experience than one that has had time to evapourate… The Taketsuru Pure Malt was initially a massive disappointment not just due to the order and minimal time to breath but also as it was just opened. Even the 1st whiff poured the second night was far more interesting. Similarly the lemon we originally found in the newly opened Chita and Ichiro’s Malt 46.5% (possibly Houou-uhi) were completely absent the second time.
  • When you get the order right, it is just right! We were much better able to appreciate the Taketsuru Pure Malt when it followed the Chita rather than the robust Chichibu. We then tried the Ichiro’s mystery malt (possibly Houou-uhi) before closing with the Chichibu French Oak cask. Muuuuuuuch smarter!
Our Japanese collection revisited!

Our Japanese collection revisited!

Many of the original tasting notes rang true, however there were a few notable differences which I’ve shared below.
  • Nose – Champion pungency vs overripe bananas… as it opened up, perfumed eraser and fresh cut wood. We completely lost the lemony element found in the 1st tasting.
  • Taste – Harsh then mellows, described by one as a very ‘technical’ whisky rather than ‘easy drinking’ whisky, superb body, honey water, hint of mint, muddle of clove, cinnamon and saffron
  • Finish – Shifted from short yet happy to spicy with a dash of bitter, sits well
  • Final observation – While the delightful perfume remained and this is still quite a unique whisky, it does not stand the test of time… the more it aired, the more the ranges of notes reduced to a single perfume. Not sure I would want to leave this on the shelf for long!
  • Nose – Smelly socks, figs, apricots that opened further into a meaty aroma, then over-burnt sugar
  • Taste – Meaty, spice, dried kopra, well balanced spice, like a pullao with kala eleichi, yet subtle too
  • Finish – Sooooo dry  initially, subtle and long
  • Final observation – The musky quality we originally observed is very much there as is its dryness. It really is a different beast with time to breathe. It also remained throughout the evening a whisky that could hold its own.
  • Nose – Vanilla, honey, flower, coconut, cognac yet none of the earlier lemon or nori
  • Taste – Gorgeous oaky flavour, Ghana bitter dark chocolate, cognac quality remained
  • Finish – Mature, lingers… really quite fabulous
  • Final observation – Phenomenal how the palate is as good as the nose, brilliantly balanced
  • Nose – Star anise, gentle, soft pulpy fruit, refreshing sea breeze, fig, hint of sourness… one member actually stepped out to independently to determine his key impression and settled on ginger. The moment he said it, there was a collective ‘Ah yes! That’s it!’
  • Taste – Magnificent, mixed peppercorns of red, pink, white and green, intelligent, complex, remained deliciously ‘chewy’
  • Finish – Long and strong
  • Add water – Fruit gum, ginger honey and spice
  • Final observation – The new tasters were as stunned as we were in the original tasting about the alcohol strength. It also gives the impression of being much older than 5 years.
This experiment re-inforced my appreciation of the ‘life cycle’ of a whisky bottle. It also was most enjoyable to revisit four such interesting whiskies with excellent company on both occasions.
Slainthe!

Mystery Malt – Ichiro’s Malt 46.5% from Isetan Shinjuku

Posted on by
2

The Isetan Department store basement in Shinjuku has a remarkable whisky collection and sampling bar – a veritable wonderland for whisky afficianados.

I was like a kid in a candy store however trying to find someone who could help was slightly challenging given my non-existent Japanese. Hence figuring out what I was potentially buying involved some guess-work.

One goal was to track down something from the elusive discontinued Karuizawa, Kawasaki or Hanyu distilleries. Which definitely meant more carefully checking out the Ichiro’s Malt offerings as they astutely bought the Kawasaki and Hanyu discontinued stock.

Ichiro's Malt 46.5%

Ichiro’s Malt 46.5% (Whisky Lady)

However… I’m not entirely sure if I succeeded in my mission!

My best guess is that this particular whisky is a special bottling for Isetan using a blend of both rare Kawasaki whisky with Hanyu, sometimes found under the label ‘Houou-uhi’ (roughly translates as Pheonix).

If I am wrong, I would very much appreciate being corrected and educated further!

Ichiro's Malt 46.5% (Isetan Shinjinku)

Ichiro’s Malt 46.5% from Isetan Shinjuku (Whisky Lady)

Ichiro’s Malt 46.5% (Isetan Shinjuku) 
  • Colour – Deep copper
  • Nose – Lemon, mustiness of the rainy season, mud from a wet forest, nori like the seaweed used in sushi wraps, hint of jasmine perfume… as it aired a subtle complex perfume enveloped
  • Taste – Like a dry fine cognac, wood, oil, pepper spices, matured roasted Indian spices, sense of sea, distinctly ‘Asian’ merging sweet, salt and spice perfectly
  • Finish – Long majestic finish, very refined
Ichiro's Malt 46.5%... Houou-uhi?

Ichiro’s Malt 46.5%… Houou-uhi? (Whisky Lady)

Impression:

  • Without a doubt this was the show stopper of the evening
  • A grand dame in her full finery!
Unveiling:
  • Part way through our discussion, I received an update from my Japanese friend in Amsterdam that she also believes it is Houou-Uhi – a blend Hanyu Distillery (12 & 20 year) and single grain whiskies from Kawasaki (30, 32 and 35 year)
  • Bottled exclusively for Isetan and, as far as I can tell, only available in its Tokyo Shinjuku store – or perhaps on auction?
  • The bottle and packaging alone are unique and elegant. The only other 200 ml bottle I’ve seen is on Whisyrific’s post about Ichiro’s Malt 1991 Hanyu

However I’m still not 100% certain we correctly identified it… The bottle I have does not state that it is a blend (whereas other labels do)… and the only number I can decipher in the notes is 30 (not the other years). Despite several attempts, I cannot seem to find a combination of Ichiro’s Malt, 46.5% and 30 other than the Houou-Uhi blend!

Ichiro's 'Mystery' Malt 46.5%

Ichiro’s ‘Mystery’ Malt 46.5% (Whisky Lady)

PS – A couple of us revisited it last night. Alas the delightful zesty lemon nose had evaporated. The sense of seaweed also dampened however there was more of a honey vanilla that emerged and the flowery perfume remained – I would still identify it best as jasmine. The cognac-like element was prominent, as was the oak. Some also described it as having a dark bitter chocolate quality. Key was unlike many whiskies that simply do not live up to their nose – this one absolutely does! Overall brilliantly balanced. Whatever this mystery malt truly is… if you spot it, grab it!

Similar labels:

We sampled this together with  Suntory’s Chita Single Grain Whisky, Nikka’s Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 Year and Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask as part of a Japanese themed tasting session held on 19 February and again on 26 February 2015.

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Nikka’s Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 Year 43%

Posted on by
Reply

While more accessible than the others, I couldn’t resist picking up Nikka’s Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 year – largely as it came conveniently in a 180ml bottle! Nikka has quite smartly released a series of smaller bottles so us mere mortals without scads of money do not miss somewhat affordable sampling portions.

Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 year is a blend of the two Nikka single malts described as combining

“… the strong character of Yoichi with the elegance and precision of Miyagikyo. Both masculine and feminine, traditional and innovative, this outstanding pure malt whisky is a worthy tribute to Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japanese whisky and founder of Nikka.”

It was voted the world’s best blended malt whisky in 2012 in 2014.

Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2004 described it as

“Not a whisky for the squeamish. This is big stuff, about as big as it gets without peat or rye. No bar shelf or whisky club should be without one.”

So yes, I admit I was influenced in the purchasing decision. The real test, as always, comes when sampling ‘blind’.

And what did our group discover? Let’s just say we were reminded of a few important lessons…

180ml of Nikka's Taketsuru Pure All Malt 17 (Whisky Lady)

Nikka’s Taketsuru Pure All Malt 17  180 ml (Whisky Lady)

 
First impression:
  • Colour – Amber
  • Nose – Musk like spicy sweat after a good work-out, lemon lime, tamarind, smoke
  • Taste – So dry it makes one want to drink water, not so much character… bit disappointing as missing elements noted in the nose
  • Finish – Limited – sweetness then stops
Conclusion:
Unveiling:
  • One member simply could not believe this was the same Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 year that is one of his favourites?!
  • We seemed to have missed many of what this particular whisky is known for! How….?
Nikka's Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 (Whisky Lady)

Nikka’s Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 (Whisky Lady)

2nd impression:
So we gave it more time to breathe, took a bit of a break and cleared our palates more fully with cucumber, unsalted bread sticks and water. Then tried again… Good thing we did!
  • Nose – Subtle tobacco smoke started to curl out, dried fruits, sweet… a mix of bright fruity notes of mostly apricot combined with a more masculine musk
  • Taste – Complex, oaky, oily, hint of chocolate, beautiful dance between dried fruits and roasted nuts
  • Finish – Impossible! It went from almost no finish to a delightful medium-long finish with impish spice and oak?!
What we learned is:
  • Breathe – Absolutely needs time to ‘breathe’… This was freshly opened and immediately poured. Excited by the earlier whiskies, we rushed into this one…
  • Order – Tasting order can hugely influence! Should have either tried it 2nd (which a latecomer experienced and loved) or taken a much longer break between tastings to clear our palate and minds of the Chichibu. Funny thing is I originally planned to have it 2nd then last-minute switched largely due to the Jim Murray review (last time I will let him influence!).
  • Revisit – Very important to set it aside and revisit after time – it was like two different whiskies!

Overall impression:

  • Complex and well worth savouring…
  • Please oh please I beg you, give it time to open up with air for a half hour or so… Do not rush!!

We sampled this together with Suntory’s Chita Single Grain Whisky 12 Year, Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask and Ichiro’s Malt Houou-uhi as part of a Japanese themed evening in February 2015.

Check out what others are saying:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask 63.1%

Posted on by
Reply

When I spotted this cask strength Chichibu in the Isetan Department Store in Shinjuku, Tokyo in July 2014, our whisky tasting group had never tried anything from this distillery before. As my quest was to find something ‘different’ and ‘difficult to source’ outside of Japan, a recent release from Ichiro’s Malt seemed to meet the criteria perfectly!

Now, clearly great minds think alike as another Chichibu – specifically the 3 year ‘The Floor Malted‘ – was sourced by another of our whisky tasting members. We sampled it in October 2014 and it could easily hold its own against older whiskies.

So what about this particular whisky? Well… here is where it gets interesting!

Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask

Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask (Whisky Lady)

Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask 63.1%, Cask number 2357, Bottled in 2014

First impression – solo interpretation

Confession time – I lost patience waiting from July 2014 to February 2015 for my next turn to curate our whisky evening… so I cracked open the bottle early and here is what I discovered:

  • Colour – Bright gold
  • Nose – A delightful burst of notes – strong sweet vanilla, tropical fruits, overripe banana, a deeper hint of chocolaty mint and cinnamon
  • Palate – Something slightly ‘rancio’, the fruits having an overripe quality, woodsy, a tinge oily and very chewy, the chocolate re-emerging
  • Finish – Spicy, nutty, slightly disappointing – sense of being a bit brash and ‘young’
  • Water? – Most certainly!

Second impression – group effort

Now here is what happened when I shared the same bottle with our intrepid tasters:

  • Nose – Medicinal, sweet perfume but with more depth and fruit than the Chita, pronounced pears, the more it aired the more we discovered – a whiff of grain, warm breeze on grass… then French vanilla… after sipping could smell dark molasses and cinnamon
  • Taste – Immediate sense of an aged whisky bursting with character, had punch, spice, very chewy, leather, bit of brine, woodsy
  • Finish – Coffee, bitter yet warm, hint of nuttiness and dark chocolate
  • Add water – This was definitely one we wanted to add water… Even dryer, woody elements emerged,  almost like eating rose petals, the French vanilla also became even more pronounced
Reactions:
  • Has ‘teeth’ and a ‘bit more alcohol’ than the Chita… perhaps 48%??
  • Also gave the sense of age given its robust character – something to feast on!
  • One suggested it was so chewy you felt like you could eat it!
Unveiling:
  • Very deceptive… absolutely unbelievable that it is cask strength at 63.1%
  • Also had the range and depth one would expect from an older whisky – remarkable it is only 2009 i.e. 5 year
  • I shared had opened it earlier so it had the advantage / disadvantage of a little bit of ‘air’ even before we sampled it together – in this case I believe it was an advantage
  • Overall an impressive whisky

I revisited my solo tasting notes only when writing this post – you can see that much overlapped but also some differences – including the finish.

What is so delightful about having a small group of friends taste together is the different descriptions and reactions. As we taste blind, we are also not influenced by origin, age, packaging, what we may have heard about a particular whisky… or even a previous acquaintance with the same whisky! Only the host knows what we are trying and we take seriously being ‘mum’ to not influence our fellow tasters.

Taste is deeply personal yet I find it tremendously enriching to have company when exploring the world of whisky… and pleased could share something less readily accessible.

Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask

Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask (Whisky Lady)

We sampled this together with Suntory’s Chita Single Grain Whisky, Nikka’s Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 Year and Ichiro’s Malt – possibly Houou-uhi in February 2015.

What others are saying:

  • Nonjatta – Brief note on the French Oak Cask and Chibidaru Cask
  • e-Ting – Mentions this release and the very same Isetan Shinjuku where I bought the whisky
  • Whisky Saga – On visiting the Chichibu distillery

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Suntory Chita Single Grain Whisky 43%

Posted on by
Reply

I was in Tokyo for a few days in July 2014 for work – just enough time to both fall in love with the place and hunt down some interesting whiskies.

My quest was to discover whiskies less available outside Japan – and there was oodles of choice!

Alas I was restricted in quantity – my next stop was Shanghai before Kuala Lumpur and then finally home to Bombay. The solution was to pick up a few sample sized 180 – 200 ml options and not restrict myself to the impossible choice of just one.

While my initial thought was to stay away from Suntory, given its international success and pre-eminent status producing whisky in Japan, it was hard to miss! So I avoided the more accessible Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries and decided to give Chita a chance…

When you think of Japanese blends, one that immediately comes to mind is  Hibiki… And one of the key elements in Hibiki is whisky from Suntory’s Chita Distillery in Port Nagoya, Aichi prefecture, an area better known for its production of sake.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of a single element of Hibiki however was sufficiently intrigued, it made the final ‘cut’ for accompanying me across multiple borders.

After sampling it in this month’s whisky tasting session, I’m so pleased it did.

Simple packaging for a superb whisky

Simple packaging for a superb dram (Whisky Lady)

Chita Single Grain Whisky 43%
  • Colour – Pale straw
  • Nose – Fruit basket, lemony, spray of perfume or a refreshing cologne, sweet honey, hint of peat… like a fresh meadow bursting with the scent of flowers
  • Taste – A delight – smooth, subtle, honey, a bit dry on the tongue, a tinge of tumeric, light spice, in short it seemed bright, likely young but utterly superb
  • Finish – Short happy finish
  • Water? – One sacrificed to try however would not recommend adding even one drop! It is perfection exactly as is!
Impressions:
  • Everyone found it exquisite – very delicate, yet still rounded with lots of subtle nuances
  • As it was so light, it gave the impression of youth with a dash of sophistication
  • A bright splash of perfume! None could recall having a whisky with quite this pronounced a perfume…
  • Once the region was identified as Japan, one thought of Hibiki – and he was spot on!

While not stated on the bottle in English, the Chita Single Grain Whisky is known to be matured for 12 years. Given its delicate character, one can be forgiven for initially thinking ‘youth’ however in truth it is deceptively mature with womanly charms.

After our tasting, I began to think of the geishas of yore – trained in the arts not only of seduction but learned in all matters be it art, literature, dance, games, conversation… every detail refined with tremendous discipline behind its beauty and grace.

Chita

Simply Chita (Whisky Lady)

We tasted it together with Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask, Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 Year, Ichiro’s Malt – possibly Houou-uhi.

Final verdict? While I’m generally not known for enjoying ‘ladylike’ whiskies, this is such a unique approach I would love to have a full bottle gracing my whisky cabinet.

Check out what others are saying about Chita:

PS Singapore Airport has a NAS Chita expression from August 2016

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on: