Staying with the Japanese squad


July 30, 2024

The Olympic Sessions, 4, staying with the Japanese squad

We thought we'd enjoy a nice and proper Japanese session, with a bit of everything, from great classics to new or recent distilleries.

There is also a perfume called "Mizunara" by Parfum Satori. However, it does not seem to contain any mizunara oak essence, but rather albanum, rosemary, clary sage, lavender, cognac oil, juniper, cypress, patchouli, blue chamomile, labdanum, tulu balsam, and sandalwood. $175 for 50ml – that's more expensive than Yamazaki! (Fragrantica).

Yoichi 10 yo (45%, OB, Japan, Edition 2022)

Yes, any excuse to revisit the recent Yoichi 10, which has been widely applauded for reintroducing a genuine age statement after a seven-year drought, is welcome. We tasted a 2023 bottling, but there was one in 2022 as well! Let's now try the 2022 version, which I doubt is much different anyway, but for the sake of comparison, we’ll consider both. Colour: pale gold (same). Nose: remarkably similar, if not identical. Fantastic bread dough notes, with hints of banana, a touch of chalk, drops of almond syrup (orgeat), a bit of eucalyptus, then a hint of porridge with a dash of... calvados within. Remember, Nikka also produces delightful calvados-like apple brandy. I find the 2022 a tad fruitier and slightly less mentholated, yet they’re as similar as the Kessler sisters (nothing to do with the American whiskey brand, I would suppose). Mouth: same whisky, to be honest. A little sawdust, green tea, banana skin, apple peel, grapefruit, chalk again... Then some earthiness, roots, perhaps gentian, and that faint dirtiness (coal) that I had previously noted and which we enjoy. Finish: medium length, apples, mint, green tea, citrus, with a hint of sawdust in the aftertaste. Comments: well, I do wonder if these were different batches. In a double-blind test without a $50K electronic sniffer, I would say one could not really tell them apart. Very, very fine whisky in any case.
SGP:551 - 88 points.

Since we’re at Nikka’s…

The Blend of Nikka ‘Maltbase Selection’ (45%, OB, Japan, +/- 2005)

This baby was ‘blended with a matured malt base’. I'm not quite sure what that means, perhaps there was indeed some aged malt in this rather old blend, or maybe it's a pure malt or blended malt – which is likely the case. Note that there are versions not called 'Selection', perhaps more common ones. Colour: gold. Nose: it's incredible – maybe not – how close we are to the Yoichi 10-year-old, except this one is more aromatic, leaning towards all sorts of honeys and flowers, mango and papaya, one or two small fresh mint leaves, a hint of fresh carrot, a tiny bit of coconut, and Earl Grey tea... It’s a magnificent nose. Mouth: once again, we are very close to the Yoichi, with a slightly less precise and perhaps a touch spicier profile, as if it were five years older. In theory, there should be some Miyagikyo in there, but in practice, it’s not detectable. At least, I can't sense it. Still, there's a bit of coconut, fresh wood, and tea... Finish: of medium length, more on that tea. Eucalyptus appears in the aftertaste. Comments: a bit like the sidekick to Yoichi, which is firmer and more intense. Still very good.
SGP:551 - 86 points.

Kaiyo ‘Mizunara Oak Cask Strength’ (53%, OB, Japan, +/- 2024)

Said to be 9 years old and matured in Japanese virgin mizunara. Earlier Kaiyos were sourced and perhaps not properly ‘Japanese’, or perhaps they were, but things may have changed. In any case, the mizunara here was Japanese. I must remind you that 100% Japanese origin does not guarantee quality, as we have tasted myriads of pseudo-Japanese whiskies, even from the large makers, that were rather excellent. Well, enough PCness... Colour: gold. Nose: very simple, very pure, very good. The oak is a bit mentholated and slightly hinting at maritime pine, holding its ground for now, with a pleasant touch of buds and seaweed. With water: the wood essences generate a remarkable ‘viscosity’! The nose remains very pleasant, still marked by mizunara oak, while hints of lemon and green apple peep through. Mouth (neat): the cask is very present, giving a sense of sucking on a cigar dipped in triple sec, then in pine bud liqueur. The worst part is, it’s not unpleasant. At all. With water: more sweetness, perhaps genepy liqueur. Finish: not very long but balanced, with a touch of mint green tea and pine nuts. Comments: I like it, it’s different, it stays balanced despite the near-absolute dominance of mizunara. I think it has progressed well since the Kaiyo mizunara at 43% from five or six years ago.
SGP:471 - 83 points.

Kaiyo 10 yo ‘The Rye’ (46%, OB, Japan, +/- 2024)

Another story of maturation, as this ‘whisky’ was aged in new mizunara, then in ex-rye from Knob Creek - hence its rye designation - and even spent three months at sea for a ‘dynamic maturation’. Truly a whisky of maturation rather than distillation. Colour: gold. Nose: one shouldn’t expect a rye explosion, but there are nonetheless ginger cookies, smoked paprika, rye bread, hints of cedarwood (cigar box), parsley, and dried wild (bear) garlic... Mouth: very good! Clearly more American than Japanese, evoking the Pacific Northwest USA or even British Columbia. It’s amusing! Lovely fruity spices, pink peppercorns, notes of celeriac, a touch of fresh turmeric, then those mizunara notes, pine buds, resins, and mint, chartreuse... It's really very pleasant, the wood is quite pronounced but, in this case, it’s an asset. Nice balance. Finish: medium length, spicy sweetness, ginger, watercress, mild mustard... Comments: great maturation and construction work, quite ‘whisky 4.0’. As long as they don’t cancel Brora, I’m fine with that...
SGP:461 - 85 points.

Akashi 4 yo ‘Calvados Cask Finish’ (62%, OB, Japan, Y’s Cask Tokyo, +/- 2023)

Malt from Eigashima distillery, aka White Oak. These malts are properly Japanese, while many blends they do under the same names are not. So, we’re truly in Japan now (despite the calvados part, haha). Colour: pale gold. Nose: indeed, it does smell a bit like apple, but at 62% vol., all spirits smell like apple, don’t they? Anyway, it seems nice, with wafts of camphor, but let's not push our luck… With water: fresh apple, fresh apple, and fresh apple. And perhaps fresh apple. A few touches of paraffin. Mouth (neat): what a mixture! Full-on calvados and apples, skins, stems, seeds, and flesh, it’s all there. But water can change things... With water: superb texture and finally, this beverage takes on another dimension, with menthol, a rooty note, maybe turnip, a suety aspect, then back to apple and pear compote. Let’s say 2/3 apple - 1/3 pear. Finish: medium length, well balanced, and with a touch of greengages. I adore greengages but they’ve become hard to find, except in our whiskies. Long live whiskies! Comments: there's undoubtedly an experimental side to this blend. Personally, I like it a lot.
SGP:551 - 85 points.

We'll finish with a Kanosuke, and we'll come back tomorrow, okay?

Kanosuke 2019/2023 (61%, OB, for ePower, Japan, oloroso sherry, cask #19421, 281 bottles)

We love Kanosuke, they've swiftly established themselves among the top tier of genuine Japanese whiskies, but let's not forget that behind them lies the might of Diageo. So, it's kind of ‘craft by big’ – but there's certainly nothing wrong with that. Colour: full gold. Nose: yes, of course, it's walnut stain and oil paint. As they say, it's oloroso from Oloroso & Oloroso’s. With water: sulphur, carbon dust, an old fisherman's net left abandoned on the beach (the net, not the fisherman) and an old box of Cuban cigars. Mouth (neat): massive, rich, liqueur-like and ultra-dry at the same time (yes, that's possible). Pine needles, walnut wine, very old dry sherry, masala, mustard sauce... With water: very tight, very sharp, very dry, bitter, austere, demanding... And we love it. An old artichoke and bitter orange cordial, like our ancestors used to pour into their beers. Finish: long, with notes of beef broth, pepper, dried meats, then everything else we've already discovered. Comments: I think it’s not impossible that only 10% of whisky enthusiasts will love this extreme style, but we are definitely part of that 10%, with joy and determination.
SGP:272 - 88 points.

See you tomorrow.

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

Current Medal Standing
(July 30, Updated Daily)

Gold		Japan Yoichi 10 yo (45%, OB, Japan, Edition 2022)
Silver		Japan Kanosuke 2019/2023 (61%, OB, for ePower, Japan, oloroso sherry, cask #19421, 281 bottles)
Bronze		UK Bimber ‘Wimbledon’ (56.6%, OB, England, The Spirit of the Underground, Vino de Naranja cask, cask #310/5, 298 bottles, 2024)