New Japan in February


February 13, 2023

New Japan in February, blends and malts

We'll do two Japanese sessions until the end of February, both gathering only new or very recent bottlings, while we'll try to avoid the 'fake Japanese whiskies', that is to say whiskies that were not fully distilled in the land of the rising sun and yet do present themselves as 'Japanese'. Of course we'll fail.

Yuza Distillery, Yamagata (photograph Yuza)

Oh well, indeed this starts a little badly…

Kensei (40%, OB, Japan, blend, +/-2022)

Not Japanese whisky. All right, it only says 'blended whisky' and 'product of Japan', not exactly 'Japanese whisky', so let's be fair, this is not quite a proper, fully lying brand. Now there's a good Veblen effect with the price here, around 55€ in France (remember the excellent Bowmore Legend is at 25€). Well, this Kensei is at 55€ everywhere and 61.93€ (LOL) at Amazon, with a discount of 11% that puts it at… 55€. Typical Amazon trick. Colour: white wine. Nose: very light, not totally unpleasant, rather on grass, with touches of plastic in the background (new Nikes), then chamomile tea, something slightly feinty, some vanillin – well, a lot of vanillin, milk chocolate, madeleines, and a curious sucrosity (sugar syrup). Mouth: cheap, grainy. Haig Clubman with Kanjis. Needs ice. Cereals, green tea. Medium body. Finish: bitter, caramelly. A cup of Nescafé with three sugar cubes. Comments: drinkable but pretty poor; why people would buy this poorish little thing for 55€, I have no idea, but kudos to both the marketers and the accountants.
SGP:431 - 55 points (there, one point for each €).

Gaiaflow Whisky 'Blended M' (48%, OB, Japan, 5,555 bottles, +/-2022)

This is a blend by the company that's behind Shizuoka Distillery, Gaia Flow Distilling Co.. They have married some 3 yo Shizuoka with some imported grain and malt, and do not call this a 'Japanese whisky', unless that's what's written in Japanese characters, which I doubt. Colour: white wine. Nose: much more maltiness and much less vanillin in this one, with rather huge quantities of plantains and green bananas. Then barley syrup and orange cake, earl grey, bergamots sweets, lemon drops. That's pretty nice, but the palate will tell us more. Mouth: probably high malt proportion. Mainly on lemon cake, lemon marmalade and small touches of camphor, with balmy mixtures and some eucalyptus behind that. Very good body, 48% always works. Very pleasant both zesty and candied citrusy combination, rather unusual. Finish: pretty long and not exactly in 'blend' territories. Candied lemons and heather honey, with some lemon grass and white pepper. Comments: I've heard both the imported grain and malt were stemming from England. Do Cotswolds do grain too? Anyway, one of my favourite recent blends, it's a very smart blend .
SGP:651 - 86 points.

Ichiro's Malt & Grain '505' (50.5%, OB, 2020)

They do call it a 'World Blended Whisky'. I'm sure everyone realizes that it is this kind of move that, in the long run, will save Japanese whisky. How many distillers are really flying the right flag? Not many, some only do a lot of talking… Naturally, there is some Chichibu inside, as there was some Shizuoka in the M (not sure everyone's happy with that name by the way, but not our business and there are only 26 letters in the alphabet anyway). Colour: white wine. Nose: I'm not the greatest fan of these 'Malt & Grain" bottlings, this one's a tad too much on varnish, icing sugar and lemonade for me. Water should help. With water: pears and cider apples, a touch of rubber (wellies) and some bubblegum plus vanilla. Fair. Mouth (neat): a little hot, with some kirschwasser and lemon liqueur. Not extremely precise, which I find a little un-Chichibu (I'm the President for life of the Turckheimer Chichibu Club!) With water: good, grassier, maltier, with some white pepper. Still a little harsh. Finish: medium, with a little sawdust and tinned peaches. Comments: it's good, not much to add, maybe we should try not to look for 'Chichibu' when trying these. The prices are a little scary too.
SGP:551 - 79 points.

Yuza 'First Edition 2022' (61%, OB, single malt, 2022)

As I understand it, his is a brand new whisky, created by sake makers who started distilling whisky in 2018. Their thing is not exactly Kanban, rather what, according to LMDW, is their own acronymised motto, 'TLAS', which means 'Tiny, Lovely, Authentic, Supreme'. So not quite Daft Punk either (remember, Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger). But enough chitchat… Oh and of course, this one's 100% Japanese, despite the very Rothmans-Luxury-Length-like packaging. Colour: white wine. Nose: a little blocked thanks to the high alcohol, but you do feel these bananas and citrus that many best Japanese malts do display. Especially grapefruit, but no chances taken... With water: both pure chardonnay and sauvignon blanc! Amazing chalkiness, sourdough, a little dill, small herbs, woodruff, custard, white nougat… Mouth (neat): barley sweets and lemon drops! Touches of raw white mezcal too, but that may go away as soon as water's been added. With water: restless lemons and grapefruits having St. Vitus' dance. The wood was perfect and indeed, you could say there is a little sweet mezcal. Finish: long, breadier. Comments: totally in the style of several very recent Japanese malt whiskies. Great attention to details and a lot of purity. We'll see if they'll also do whacky finishes (wink wink).
SGP:551 - 88 points.

Since we've mentioned sake…

Akashi 6 yo 'Sake Cask' (61%, OB, Y's cask Tokyo, 400 bottles, 2021)

Naturally, these Akashi single malts by White Oak are properly Japanese, but the Akashi blends, although labelled as 'Japanese Blended Whisky', are not. But the public doesn't seem to care… Currently 30€ in France (those Aksashi blends). Colour: gold. Nose: 61% again but it is gentler than the new Yuza, probably thanks to some very active wood. Some wonderful spicy oranges, walnuts, some esters (olives and bananas), whiff of old magazines, a touch of mustard too, cracked pepper… Well, this is extremely to my taste. With water: even nicer. Cigars, fino sherry, walnuts, good orange wine, old books, some moisture… Mouth (neat): Ben Nevis!! I am not joking. Mustard, dirt, pepper, smoke, salt, thick ale, chillies… I would suppose a large part does stem from the sake but I cannot be sure about that. Rather love it. Yeah, I know Ben Nevis is Nikka but this is not a PC blog. With water: more of all that. An incredibly peppery, salty, coastal highly fortified walnut wine. Finish: same for a long time. Comments: how do you say surprise in Japanese? Sapuraizu, say our masters in Mountain View, CA.
SGP:462 - 90 points.

Tsunuki 'Limited Edition 2022' (50%, OB, Japan, single malt)

I think I've already said that I'm having some trouble getting everything about all these names, Mars, Tsunuki, Shinshu, Maltage, Cosmo, Komagatake, Yakushima, Kasei… Maybe that's because I do not speak Japanese at all! Colour: Nose: a wonderfully fruity gentleness, full of marshmallows, bubblegum and jelly babies and beans. Then, in the middle distance, various breads and brioches, scones, muffins (especially blueberry muffins), and then a sourer doughiness. That's sourdough, a favourite at Château Whiskyfun. Notes of granny smith and kiwi too. With water: deeper into the barley, grist, husk and all that. Fresh spongecake, génoise, madeleins… Mouth (neat): totally impeccable, as many Mars were, are and probably will be. A lot of eucalyptus, cough syrup, pectoral syrup (Vicks), also the expected bananas… With water: lemon and orange cake, plus indeed this eucalyptus. Crunching pine needles. Finish: rather long, just going on. Pure cough pastilles in the aftertaste, and touch of smoke. Comments: very high drinkability index. Perfect eucalyptus-led development on the palate. You'd almost wish you had some mucus cough, so that you could use this Mars as a cure. Cough! Cough!.
SGP:562 - 89 points.

Komagate 5 yo 2016/2022 'Yakushima Aging' (61%, OB, LMDW, first fill bourbon, cask #2063, 180 bottles)

Komagatake 5 yo 2016/2022 'Yakushima Aging' (61%, OB, LMDW, first fill bourbon, cask #2063, 180 bottles)

Yakushima Island (or Yaku-Shima) is located in the far south of Japan, within the Osumi archipelago, north of Okinawa. The whiskies sure should be more tropical than elsewhere in Japan. Colour: light gold. Nose: some grassy smoke and many bananas, plus touches of curry, fern, pine needles and green peppercorn, but quick, water… With water: wonderful, on pinewood smoke, new tyres, tar, castor oil, a new pack of rubber bands, cough lozenges, retsina… Mouth (neat): looks like someone's smoked lemons using pinecones and camphor candles. With water: a very resinous, piney smokiness, plus green olives and gentian eau-de-vie. Make sure you ask for proper 'fermented' gentian, not for the cheaper macerated ones (even if some are good). Do they have yellow gentian in Japan? Do they distil it? I mean, the roots? Finish: long and earthier, rootier yet. Herbal smoke. Very wonderful and I'm sure this one too would cure any cough, influenza or Covid-19. Comments: I can't wait to try some 15 years old 'new' Shinshus. I've tried some of the older brews from the 1980s, nothing to do with the 'new' ones.
SGP:565 - 90 points.

Akkeshi 3 yo 'Daikan' (48%, OB, Japan, blended whisky, 2022)

Akkeshi is located in Hokkaido, in the north. They started distilling in 2016, however this is a blend of Akkeshi malt with imported grain, so it is rather a 'world blend'. Colour: straw. Nose: it's pretty malty, rather on mentholy herbs, muscovado, lemon marmalade, sauna oils, lime, with drops of aguardiente thrown in. It is a very fine combination, slightly smoky (garden bonfire), with grain whiskies that have been kept at their places (in a dark corner, ha). Mouth: echoes of Laphroaig, seaweed smoke, lapsang souchong, cigar ashes and green/bitter vegetables (eggplants and compadres). Some peppered grapefruits at the helm. Feels young and probably not perfectly integrated yet, but it's got everything needed as far as knack, zing and oomph are concerned. Finish: good length, with some earthy, smoky citrus syrup. Tarry menthol in the aftertaste. Comments: very good. Now the prices for some of these world blends assembled in Japan are clearly too high. Four bottles of Ardbeg 10, really? It's all a little smelly, with all due respect. But this whisky is very good.
SGP:565 - 86 points.

Akkeshi 'Shosho' (48%, OB, Japan, blended whisky, 2022)

Looks like this is even more 'world'. What's good is that nowhere do they claim that this would be properly Japanese, but indeed the bottles are designed as if it was, while the IQ and the attention span of a crowd remain those of a drunken tardigrade (with apologies to all tardigrades). Marketers cannot lose. Colour: pale gold. Nose: nice, croissants, brioche, barley, banana cake, panettone and… more panettone. Indeed, you cannot lose with panettone. Mouth: the thing is that it would crush most young or middle-aged Scottish blends. The malt is first class, with super citrus, wonderful doughs and zesty herbs, plus touches of rhum agricole. But indeed, better be good at this price (north of 150€, imagine). Bigger is more. Finish: medium, sweeter, more on butterscotch and crema catalana, plus coffee liqueur Comments: very infuriating. Let's be honest, it's a rather stunning blend. Obviously not worth its hefty price, but isn't this is a free world (to this day)? Now if you would excuse me, I need to go check what 'Shosho' means. Obviously not 'so-so'.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Next Japanese session, all Shizuoka and Kanosuke, stay tuned.

(Vielen Dank Chris at Sushi + Soul in Munich!)

Check the index of all Japanese Whiskies we've tasted so far