Tag Archives: Japanese single malt

Mars Komagatake Single Malt Yakushima Aging 2020 53%abv

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Nose: Strawberry conserve, pineapple, passionfruit, banana, dusty oak barrels, sea spray, white pepper, vanilla slice. Water adds white flowers, white nectarines and more of the sea spray.
Palate: Pineapple, banana, vanilla slice, marzipan, dark chocolate, red peanut skins, grapefruit, strawberry conserve, passionfruit, salt & pepper. With water malt and pistachios. Medium bodied.
Finish: Lemon tart, white pepper. marzipan, dusty oak, licorice, cacao paste, oak tannins and what seems like some light peating.
Last Word: Tasty young Mars and consistancy of quality has become a hallmark for their single malts. Still hoping for some older age statement releases soon as 2021 marks 10 years since Mars started distilling whisky again.

Rating: 88/100

The Akkeshi Single Malt Lightly Peated 2020 3YO 55%abv

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Nose: Some earthyness, shiitake mushrooms, roasted malt, roasted chestnuts, vanilla, biscuits(American style) a cereal note and a little tar. Still some youthful notes of steamed green vegetables. More Scotch like than most Japanese Whiskies I’ve tasted. Nothing much changes with water added.
Palate: There is a sweetness but more candied fruits rather than fresh. Caramel, chocolate brownies, some baking spices and earthyness. Not really detecting the peat which may come as the bottle empties. A savoury element like spicey beef rissoles. Not particularly complex. With water a soft malty theme emerges.
Finish: Earthy and a combination of steamed green vegies and spicy beef rissoles. With water soft malt and vanilla then a little oaky dryness.
Last Word: I have tasted all the Akkeshi releases so far and for reasons I’m not quite sure about they seem a few years away from producing whiskies as well resolved and complex as those from the likes of Mars, Chichibu and Kanosuke of the same age.

Rating: 80/100

Mars Single Malt Tsunuki The First 2016-17 3YO 59%abv

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Nose: A malty heart! Stewed apples, red and green grapes, caramel, oak barrels, wood shavings. Rhubarb, nutmeg, raisins, pollin, vanilla and a touch of pepper.
Palate: Like the nose, big on the maltiness. Bran, nutmeg, stewed apples, Brazil Nuts, marzipan, coffee tannins, Pepper. Manuka honey, sparkling Pinot Noir. Water adds nouget and macadamias. Medium bodied and nicely balanced.
Finish: Marzipan, Brazil Nuts, nouget, pepper, oak tannins, cacao paste, red grapes, peanut butter. With water longer, more tangy, some sweet spice then fades on vanilla, nouget, creamy nuts & cool mints.
Last Word: Love it that Mars did not skimp and released this first bottling from the new distillery at cask strength. Great entry into the whisky scene and can’t see too many people not being satisfied.

Rating: 89/100

Mars Komagatake Super Heavily Peated 2012-2015 3YO Cask #1492 For Mitsukoshi Isetan 58%abv

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Nose: Dark chocolate, lemon cough drops, BBQ pineapple, diesel fumes, coal, creosote. Damp earth, Bay Leaves, mechanics work shop, ripe pear skins, vanilla pod, stables. With water even more diesel, plus tar in Betadine.
Palate: Pepper, chili’s, paprika. Soot, 90% dark chocolate, dried pears, mandarins, vanilla, coal, raisins. Water adds lemon, salt and Bay Leaves. Full bodied.
Finish: Mint, 90% dark chocolate, pepper, chili’s, cacao paste, short black, balsamic, soot, dry. Water lengthens the hot spices and adds trailing lemons.
Last Word: A whisky that brings a sledge hammer to a knife fight. While maybe not as balanced as some of the other Mars Heavily Peated Whiskies I’ve tasted it’s certainly entertaining. The nose it the highlight.

Rating: 86/100

Yoichi Single Malt Manzanilla Cask Finish 48%abv

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Nose: Sherry, oak, shoe polish, match box, grapefruit, apple core, peppermint.
Palate: Match box, coal fire, ash, hay, grappa, horse stables. For me quite a strange funk to the palate on not in an appealing way.
Finish: Grappa, horse stables or in general just farmy, boiled eggs. Quite bizarre.
Last Word: Every now and again a distilleries house style and the cask type clash. This is one of them and I would never recognise this as a Yoichi Whisky. Like the Miyagikyo Manzanilla Cask Finish my least favorite of those I’ve tasted in the series being inferior in my opinion to both the Moscatel and Port Wood finishes. I haven’t tasted too many duds from Yoichi but this is one and possibly the worst.

Rating: 76/100

Miyagikyo Single Malt Manzanilla Wood Finish 48%abv

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Nose: Oranges, cherries, vanilla, toffee, marmalade, a touch of struck match.
Palate: Cola, oranges, cherries, vanilla, icing sugar, cocoa. Somewhat bourbonesque in style. Light Bodied.
Finish: Cola, caramelized oranges, creamed cherry chocolate.
Last Word: Decent single malt but my least favorite of those I’ve tasted in the series being inferior in my opinion to both the Moscatel and Port Wood finishes.

Rating: 84/100

Mars Single Malt for ePower 2013-2016 3YO 56.9%abv

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Nose: A Mars that errs more to the savory/spicy/herbaceous side. Cloves, chili’s, pepper, pickled plums, nutmeg. BBQ pork with plum sauce, dried papaya, rhubarb stalks, shiitake mushrooms. Water adds sweeter and floral elements.
Palate: Pepper, chili’s, dried papaya, orange sherbet, rhubarb, nutmeg, cloves. BBQ pork, shiitake mushrooms, oak, organic cacao chunks. More tangy with water.
Finish: Shiitake mushrooms, oak, BBQ sauce, BBQ hotplate, organic cacao chunks. With water tangy orange and some vanilla.
Last Word: Haven’t tasted this for about a year and it has improved over time. Only three years old……hard to believe.

Rating: 88/100

Mars Komagatake Tsunuki Ageing 2018 57% abv

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Nose: Stewed apples, cloves, nutmeg, toffee, dried pears, honey. BBQ hotplate, grapefruit, pepper, bay leaves, wood shavings, seared pork. A little more savory and herbaceous with water and some added white flowers.
Palate: Pepper, fresh ginger and chili powder to start. Cloves, stewed apples, nutmeg, grapefruit, salt, seared pork, peanut butter. More fresh and lively with water added plus vanilla and the white flowers.
Finish: Cloves, bay leaves, stewed apples, peanut butter, BBQ hotplate, oak. Finish is longer with water and quite juicy.
Last Word: For the age surprisingly complex especially with water added.

Rating: 88/100

Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu MDC for Bar Te-Airigh 2008 10YO Bourbon Barrel #180 60.8%

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Nose: Barley, vanilla wafers, banana, apple pie, dried pears, almond flakes. Dried mango slices, demerara sugar, orange peels. Sweet and mellow. With water some wild flower pot pourri.
Palate: Starts with a big hit of spices both hot and baking. Barley, apple pie, vanilla, butter, fresh baked scones. Oak, custard, tinned pears, apple sauce, olive oil. Water turns up the hot spices and oak and adds some orange juice. Medium bodied.
Finish: Custard, apple sauce, stewed rhubarb, oak, pennies. Water doubles the length and ramps up the oaky dryness and those metallic pennies.
Last Word: It will be interesting to see how the team at Chichibu manages their older stock as there is already some strong oak character even at 10 years old. Prefer this one sans H2O. A sweet, malty, spicy delight. The label is a drawing by the daughter of the owner of Bar Te-Airigh.

Rating: 90/100

Chichibu Chibidaru 2013-2018 Casks 2408 & 2410 63%abv

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Nose: Barley, lemon cough drops, sawdust, vanilla, custard, malt, orange zest, some acetone. With water oak and more citrus.
Palate: Icing sugar, sweetened lemon, white chocolate, orange zest, toffee. With water fig paste, tangy citrus, mint chocolate.
Finish: Long and sweet on melon, vanilla, icing sugar. Water addds length, some warming spices, malt and menthol.
Last: Best with water that adds complexity and length to the finish.

Rating: 87/100

Chichibu For E-Power 2012 6YO Bourbon Barrel #2139 62.8%abv

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Nose: Butter, malt, dried apples, pears, cantaloupe, apple pie crust, pepper. With water lemon merangue, green apple peels, apricot jam.
Palate: Pecans, dates, apples, vanilla, butter, malt, marzipan, fermented pears, lemon zest, limes. With water lemon merangue pie. Full bodied.
Finish: White pepper, white chocolate, green apples, lemon zest, lemon merangue pie. Some late apricot jam. Good length especially with water added.
Last Word: Nicely balanced between sweeter notes and some citrus bitterness. A very good Chichibu!

Rating: 88/100

Chichibu Single Cask Cream Sherry Hogshead #2633 2010 7YO 59.6%abv

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Nose: Quite savoury plus cashews, incense, custard apples, pepper, nutmeg, peppermint, marsala, hint of struck match. Complex! With water some grilled pork.
Palate: Cherries, seared orange slices, cashews, marmalade, pepper, chili flakes, marzipan. With water raisins, sweet baking spices and gummy bears. Full bodied.
Finish: Savoury, baked pork belly, cashews, cherries, gummy bears.
Last Word: Great complexity! One of the best Chichibu Whiskies I’ve tasted.

Rating: 91/100

Chichibu Single Cask Bourbon Barrel #2243 2012-2019 62.5%abv

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Nose: Crisp barley, pepper, lemon zest, lychees, green apples, nutmeg, vanilla custard, a little insence. A floral element with water added.
Palate: Barley, nutmeg, Sara Lee apple crumble, vanilla, pepper, dark chocolate, lots of malt. Water adds toffee, lemon squash soda, juicy oranges. Medium bodied.
Finish: Malt, apple crumble, balanced oak. Becomes quite ashy and then a mineral/metallic element.
Last Word: For lovers of malty whiskies. Really hits is stride with some water which adds complexity and lengthens the finish.

Rating: 89/100

Ichiro’s Malt Four of Hearts 1st Cask Hogshead 2nd Cask French Oak Cognac 2000-2011 11YO 59.2%abv

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Nose: Red grapes, cherry cream, floral, macadamias, orange slices, some leather and sweet tobacco. Quite mild for cask strength.
Palate: Belies the gentleness of the nose with plenty of warming oak spices. Orange slices, sweet tobacco, leather, some oak tannins, licorice, cinnamon, barley, mustard, peanut butter, raisins. Water ramps up the warm oak spices.
Finish: Oranges, vanilla, some oak tannins, dried mango slices. Water lengthens the finish with lashings of juicy and tangy citrus fruits, the peanut butter and menthol.
Last Word: Up there with the better whiskies in the Card Series. Would have cracked a 90 score if the nose was bolder.

Rating: 89/100

The Essence of Suntory Yamazaki Distillery Spanish Oak Casks 2009-2019 9YO 56%abv

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Nose: Beef stock such as Bonox. Raisins, orange slices, marsala, pepper, banana, marmelade, With water creamy nuts such as cashews and macadamias.
Palate: Hotter than hell!. All sorts of chili and hot curry spices. Fresh ginger, pepper, seared orange slices, banana, raisins, currants, oak. Full bodied.
Finish: Dried fruits, oak, vanilla, licorice, peppermint. With water lychees and mango.
Last Word: Decent but to my tastes, unbalanced towards hot spices and as someone who likes spicey whiskies, that’s saying something. Needs quite a bit of water to tame but that much water also tends to flatten everything. Much better Sherry Cask matured Yamazakis out there.

Rating: 82/100

The Essence of Suntory Hakushu Distillery Rye Type 2012 5YO 57%abv

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Nose: Bready notes of Rye and Pumpernickel. Plums, vanilla, cracked pepper, flint, mixed herbs. Butter, custard, peanut brittle. With water mint leaves.
Palate: Butter, chicken vindaloo, rye spice, pickled ginger, pepper, vanilla bean. Peanut butter, cloves, banana bread. Full bodied.
Finish: Banana, mixed herbs, peppermint jellies, peppermint tea, licorice. Complex and evolving.
Last Word: Quite a unique experience and an enjoyable one to boot, especially for someone like myself who enjoys Rye Whiskies.

Rating: 90/100

Chichibu For Whisky Talk Fukuoka 2018 8YO Ex Hanyu Cask #% 62.3%abv

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Nose: Rich! Peaches, apricots, dates, scones with strawberry jam. Yeasty, hoppy, oak staves that have been soaking in whisky maturing in a ex beer cask.
Palate: Strawberries, stawberry ice cream, vanilla wafers, dates, chocolate, Hokkaido baked cheese tarts. With water raisin toast and brandy snaps. Full bodied.
Finish: Sweet on baking spices, hops, yeast, malt & vanilla wafers.
Last Word: A quite different style of Chichibu and no less appealing for it. Excellent!

Rating: 90/100

Mars Komagatake Double Cask Bourbon Barrels #3302 20PPM & #332 50PPM 2016 3YO 61%abv

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Nose: Maritime notes of brine, sea spray and dried seaweed. Quite some pepper also coal, creosote, lemon zest, toffee, some sort of lacquered wood, smoked ham hocks and a big hit of vanilla. With water this is even bigger on the smoked pork and adds grilled capsicums, sugar coated euchalyptus jellies and smokey BBQ sauce.
Palate: Peat mixed with honey, toffee and vanilla. Creosote, dried apricots, dried papaya, smoked ham hocks. Some sweetened citrus and salted caramal. With water the salt spikes and some hot spices and tangy citrus are added. Medium bodied.
Finish: Sweet peat, sweetened citrus, creosote, salted caramel, some oak taninns and lingering smoke. Water doubles the length of the finish.
Last Word: Outstanding 3YO whisky! Complex. Mars at the very top of their young whisky game!

Rating: 90/100
Note: At the time of writing this can be tasted at Aloha Whisky Bar Tokyo.

Mars Komagatake Single Malt Limited Edition 2019 48%abv

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Nose: Heather honey, vanilla, apricot jam, caramel, pepper, touch of wood stain. Some sweet tobacco, a little clove and almond, a savoury note. With water there is white chocolate, some wood shavings and a light floral note.
Palate: Tangy orange, marzipan, almonds, fresh apricots, nouget, heather honey. Salt and Pepper, white chocolate, pear juice, chili flakes. Water adds creamy nuts like macadamias. Medium bodied.
Finish: Oranges, apricot jam, pears, peanut butter and some ashiness. Water lengthens the finish.
Last Word: Moreish whisky. Almost half a bottle down after a couple of weeks. More complex and tastes more mature than the Limited Edition 2018 even though they contain whisky of the same age. Very impressive for a 3YO whisky.

Rating: 88/100

Kanosuke New Born 18mths Bourbon Casks 57%abv

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Nose: Wild flowers, pollen, wood shavings, pepper, honey, vanilla. A medley of tropical fruits, dried mango, pineapple, passionfruit, banana. With water the wildflowers and passionfruit dominate.
Palate: Honey, sherbet, apple pie crust, vanilla, salt, wild flowers. Dried mango, oranges, ginger, banana. Dare I say smooth! With water the body fills out and there is more pepper, salt and ginger, also cloves.
Finish: Dried mango, dried pears, sawmill floor, a little clove, dried plantain. A little drier and herbaceous with water also vanilla wafers.
Last Word: Mind blowing stuff at this young age that already displays a really exotic edge. I rated the 8mth New Born highly and this one moves the goal posts forward again.

Rating: 88/100