The Top Japanese, continued


October 15, 2024

The Top Japanese, continued

Let's carry on tasting a few more of the finest newer Japanese whiskies...

Kanosuke ‘Hioki Pot Still’ (51%, OB, Japan, 2024)

Here we have a Japanese whisky with a bit of an Irish flair. Now, that doesn’t mean they’ve gone and imported bulk whisky from Ireland to blend with their local malt, but rather that they’ve embraced the ‘pure’ or ‘single’ pot still method. This involves using both malted and unmalted barley in the distillation – in this case, under vacuum (copper or stainless steel?) – and that would make it a grain whisky according to the good old Scottish gospel. Colour: gold. Nose: there really is a touch of Ireland here – very ripe apples, hints of rose petals, lychee, and a suggestion of fresh copper (think of a brand-new chef’s pan), followed by strawberry and cherry tart. There’s even a slight whiff of a good Provençal rosé. With a few drops of water: cakes galore – fraisier, financier, champagne-soaked ladyfingers… Mouth (neat): the wood is more prominent on the palate, bringing cinnamon, apple peel, ginger, and hints of cedar wood, with a subtle touch of incense. There’s still plenty of fresh, unpasteurised apple juice as well. With water: we remain on similar notes. A few leafy touches – pear and cherry leaves, perhaps? Finish: fairly long, becoming more herbaceous with even a slight touch of rubber. The aftertaste lingers with a bit of rosé champagne. Comments: I was perhaps a bit more charmed by the Kanosuke I tried the other day (the Single Malt at 48%, WF 88), but this one is still very, very good.
SGP: 651 - 84 points.

Kanosuke ‘Double Distillery’ (53%, OB, Japan, 2024)

Well, here we have a blend of their Single Malt and the Hioki, essentially a self-blend made entirely from barley. Colour: pale gold. Nose: indeed, we’re back to the malted barley notes, with fresh bread, oranges, peanut butter, yeast, and malt extract… With water: no major changes, though now we’re getting a freshly baked baguette straight from the bakery. Mouth (neat): very good, with top-tier pepper, a touch of Riesling reminiscent of what we found in the malt, some smoke, tart green apples, and pumpkin seeds… With water: the ‘Irish’ spirit returns slightly, with cherries, white peaches, and even that lovely rosé champagne again. Shochu. And let’s be clear, we’re talking about a rosé de saignée here (skin-contact maceration), not the kind made by mixing white wine with a dash of red. Finish: medium in length, very well balanced, fruity but not overly so. Cherries, a hint of kirsch, almonds... Comments: this works extremely well, in my humble opinion. All that’s missing now is an age statement, whatever that might be.
SGP: 562 - 88 points.

Ichiro’s Malt & Grain World Blend ‘7 to 47 years Double Fantasy’ (56%, OB, Japan, 300 bottles, 2024)

Adorned with a famous photo of John and Yoko by Kishin Shinoyama, this blend comes with quite the story. According to a very reliable source who’s always sporting suspenders, it contains 48.5% 7-year-old Chichibu, 48.5% Scottish malts aged between 21 and 25 years, 1.5% 1976 Kawasaki grain, and 1.5% 1976 Benriach, with both of those last ones clocking in at 47 years old. Colour: gold. Nose: if I’ve understood correctly, there’s only 1.5% grain in here, and you can tell. It’s a bit like a Danish pastry, with apricot and buttercream, a touch of cassata, very ripe apple, quince, and mirabelle plums, then plenty of yeast and sour cream. There’s even a fun IPA + Chardonnay vibe going on… With water: oh, fresh and dried white mulberries make an appearance. Mouth (neat): excellent, almost all-malt, with a Chichibu that certainly doesn’t shy away, setting the pace for the older whiskies. Citrusy tension, chalk, flour, fresh bread, gooseberries… With water: quince and green apple come roaring back. Finish: long, taut, precise. Chalk, apple, lemon. Comments: I get the feeling the goal here was to show that even when blended with half of something else, a well-raised Chichibu still rules the roost.
SGP: 561 - 90 points.

Ichiro’s Malt World Blended Malt ‘5 to 21 years Double Fantasy’ (48%, OB, Japan, 1,200 bottles, 2024)

Half Chichibu, aged between 5 and 11 years, and half Scottish malts ranging from 5 to 21 years old. The fact that Ichiro can pull off such feats with apparent great success speaks volumes about his reputation. Imagine doing something like this in Scotland—you’d be scattered to the four winds, well past Hadrian’s Wall. Colour: straw. Nose: I can’t detect any dominant ‘Scottish malt’ pushing its way through the Chichibu, but they likely didn’t pick malts with too strong a character. Well played. So, we get apple, peanut oil, lemon, fresh bread, not-too-ripe banana, some elusive Japanese Chardonnay (good luck finding that, but it’s wonderful), white currants, sorrel, and rhubarb… I really love this nose, to be honest. With water: pure barley, apple, chalk, bread. A touch of drawing gum, a hint of orgeat and putty. Mouth (neat): it’s a bit more uncertain on the palate, with a touch of candy sugar and roasted barley on top of apple compote drizzled with lemon. Something along those lines. With water: no, it becomes superb with a splash of Vittel (Nestlé, but where’s the cheque?). Finish: long, lemony, with apple, white wine, and rhubarb. Comments: in whisky, sometimes less is more (S., not your finest moment there). Oh, and Double Fantasy was also the name of a John & Yoko album, their last before the former Beatle’s tragic assassination.
SGP: 561 - 90 points.

These two Lennon-esque blends are truly exceptional and, in fact, are essentially Chichibu, both philosophically and in terms of taste. Let's continue...

Chichibu 7 yo 2016/2024 (64.5%, OB, LMDW Foundations, refill peaty barrels, cask #7076, 200 bottles)

Well, they’ve refilled a barrel that previously held peated Chichibu, and you can tell straight away. Colour: pale gold. Nose: goodness me, peat really does cling to any distillate like misfortune to the lower clergy of Brittany. But here, it remains wonderfully assertive, adding to the usual trio of chalk, apple, and barley with a proper dose of smoke and even a few maritime notes. With water: astonishing stuff. How much peated Chichibu was left in that cask? Fifty litres? The waves of beechwood-smoked salmon are utterly remarkable. Mouth (neat): zzzzeooom! That’s the sound of a blade cleaving the humble taster clean in half, to the precise millimetre. Lemon peel, ashes, chalk, lemon again, and cardamom. With water: well, the peat isn’t going anywhere, but that’s hardly a complaint. Think lemon in the fireplace. Finish: long, pure, slightly oily (pistachio oil) and then very lemony. The ash lingers on. Comments: this is unmistakably a peated whisky. Those blasted smoky molecules cling like limpets to a rock, but the result is nothing short of superb.
SGP:464 - 91 points.

That's enough of the Chichibu for today – but there'll be plenty more soon – it's time to move on to something else.

Ontake 2021/2024 (57.7%, OB, for The Ultimate Spirits by Rudder, Japan, Owner’s Cask, oloroso sherry butt, cask #174)

We’re back in familiar territory near Kanosuke, in Hioki. The first edition of Ontake was rather good, but alas, a bit too soft at 43% ABV (WF80). This one promises to be quite different... Colour: full gold, though not overly dark. Nose: I absolutely adore this chocolate, those raisins, the old rancio, tar, aged walnuts, and that wonderfully mature oloroso. A stunning sherry influence, with the malt naturally taking a back seat in this explosive setting. Hard not to think of a few Yamazaki ‘Owner’s Cask’ ex-sherry bottlings. With water: brilliant raisins, both luscious and earthy, an absolute delight. Mouth (neat): good heavens, this is bursting with oloroso, walnut liqueur, and raisins, as if every pore is oozing with these flavours. What a beast! With water: chocolate steps up boldly, joined by black tea and pipe tobacco, but those raisins still steer the ship and call the shots. Finish: very long, chocolaty, with a subtle sulphurous note that works wonderfully here. Think millionaire shortbread and yet more raisins—the biggest, blackest ones. Comments: a sherry monster, and we do love a proper sherry monster, provided it’s truly monstrous, like this one. It’s also somewhat reminiscent of those early Glendronach full-sherry releases just after the first relaunching.
SGP:561 - 90 points.

Since we're on the subject of sherry...

Mars Tsunuki 4 yo 2020/2024 ‘Yakushima Aging’ (58.2%, OB, Japan, LMDW Foundations, sherry hogshead, cask #2334, 241 bottles)

A release aged in the far south of Japan, and you might say it’s a bit like the French heading south too to age themselves. Right. Mars/Shinshu may not make as much noise as some other Japanese houses, but make no mistake, they’re top-tier, boasting two distilleries, including Tsunuki, and three ageing sites, including Yakushima. Colour: amber. Nose: we’re loving the glue, acetone, and overripe fruits, and isn’t that just perfect. Chocolate too, which is equally welcome. A superb earthy side, old tobacco pouch, browned bananas, old leather… With water: carries on in the same vein but with less of that varnish/glue note. Mouth (neat): cocoa, honeydew, caramelised onion, prunes, a touch of sour old wine, then a resinous edge that’s a bit sharp. Black propolis. It’s wobbling a bit. With water: backflips and regains its balance! The raisins are hard at work now. Finish: long, more herbal, with a hint of rubber and a touch of plum jam. Comments: very, very good, I love it, but perhaps is it a tad young, a bit wild, and could use a touch more polish. It’s said to age very quickly on Yakushima, but maybe not quite that fast.
SGP:651 - 85 points.

(Many thanks, Hideo)

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