The last Japanese and a little red wine


October 25, 2024

The last Japanese and a little red wine

The last for now, of course. Some older classics soon.

Ichiro’s Malt & Grain ‘Red Wine cask’ (59.8%, OB for Spirits of Salud, single blend, Château Gruaud Larose, 272 bottles, 2023)

Seemingly a single blend given a double maturation in that red wine barrique for 3.5 years. So, we’ve got a mix of malt, grain, French oak and a splash of very young Saint-Julien. Right, here we go, hang tight... Colour: apricot. Nose: a touch of green pepper and sulphur at first, followed by soot, burnt nuts, and some dark nougat. There’s potting soil and dried mint leaves in there too. With water: not much of interest for me, to be honest. A bit like a tired barrel—after all, that’s what it is. And let’s not forget that these casks often hold very young wines indeed, practically undrinkable, since the best Bordeaux ages in the bottle after its time in oak. Mouth (neat): rather odd. Bitter oranges, green peppers, allspice, and ginger. With water: a slight improvement. Melted red peppers, chocolate, aubergine, and black pepper. Finish: long but a touch dissonant, with some cassis and overripe strawberries emerging towards the end. Comments: given how crucial vintages are for Bordeaux wines, they really ought to tell us which vintage the cask did hold. One of those very rare Chichibu (and co.) releases I truly don’t care for, though the other two ‘Spirits of Salud’ editions were absolutely, utterly, totally splendid! (WF 90 and WF 91).
SGP:671 - 70 points.

Chichibu 8 yo 2016/2024 ‘Bordeaux Red Wine cask’ (65.5%, OB, LMDW Foundations, cask #14044, 268 bottles)

Finished in Pauillac instead of St Julien, but this one’s a single malt. Colour: gold (thank goodness). Nose: much better, no sulphur this time, with a hint of pine resin and, well, classic Chichibu. There’s also a whiff of blood orange. With water: quite pleasant, with notes of cake, cherry stalk herbal tea, and puffs of peony, but no real red wine influence… Mouth (neat): not bad at all, again leaning towards citrus and pink peppercorns, with a handful of cherries and some black pepper. But it’s (cough) very strong. With water: yes, quite nice indeed, with the return of those blood oranges and a touch of Szechuan pepper. Finish: rather long, with strawberries, pepper, and a hint of fir honey. Comments: we were on edge the whole time, but in the end, it’s definitely Chichibu.
SGP:661 - 83 points.

We'll see if the impact of European oak is really as significant as they say...

Mars Tsunuki 4 yo 2020/2024 ‘Tsunuki aging’ (60.3%, OB, LMDW Foundations, Spanish Virgin oak, cask #T1880, 283 bottles)

Colour: dark red copper. Nose: well, this is both unusual and charming. We’ve got old plum eau-de-vie (vieille prune), some beautifully ripe wild strawberries, eucalyptus, thyme, a hefty dose of top-notch PX, a hint of marc de Bourgogne, and camphor… Can all of this really come just from fresh Spanish oak? With water: wilder notes now, with morels, mosses, eucalyptus wood, and caramel emerging… Mouth (neat): oh, but this is excellent! I’m not sure what they’ve done to that poor Spanish oak in terms of toasting, but it’s worked wonders. There’s old Demerara rum (think mature Port Mourant), chocolate, more of that old plum, some super-strong Trappist ale, and toffee… With water: absolutely superb, now with added tobacco, bay leaves, and blood orange. Finish: long, with cracked pepper, coriander seeds, sweet woodruff, and a hint of Belgian mandarin liqueur. Comments: what a brilliant discovery! I would have guessed a single malt from a tiny distillery in Washington state. After all, that’s not too far away (we’ll chip in and get you an atlas, S.).
SGP:652 - 89 points.

Some bourbon, please…

Mars Komagatake 5 yo 2018/2024 ‘Komagatake Aging’ (62%, OB, LMDW Foundations, bourbon, cask #4295, 180 bottles)

Colour: light gold. Nose: macarons, biscuits, custard, nougat, apricot cake, and all kinds of melons. How could anyone object to that? With water: gummi bears and a bag of pear-flavoured sweets. A nose that brings out the child in us. There’s also a hint of fresh plaster in the background. Mouth (neat): my word, this is excellent. Vanilla, mint, orange, varnish, kiwi, and white Meursault. And yes, I’ll say it again, red Meursaults do exist. With water: such intense fruitiness! Perfect use of the bourbon cask, though the lychees in syrup and ripe pear may come across as just a tad dominant. Finish: medium length, more on citrus, with a touch of candied angelica at the end. Comments: I think we’ve pulled things back nicely here (feeling smug, S.?).
SGP:641 - 90 points.

Last one. Next Japanese station, not before December. Unless, no wait, a bag of old Nikkas just came in, it’s going to be hard to resist...

Shizuoka ‘Pot Still K Japanese Barley 2023 Edition’ (55.5%, OB, 2023)

Well, I rather doubt anyone would be able to tell the difference between foreign barley and Japanese barley in the whisky. Hmm, indeed. Colour: light gold. Nose: flour, fresh bread, baker’s yeast, grapefruit, fougasse, crushed slate, and... yuzu. Of course, yuzu. With water: imagine lemon juice and crushed chalk, worked together with a pestle. Try to picture that. Mouth (neat): we love this rustic, farmyard style, so close to the raw ingredients. Grapefruit seeds, grist, chalk, focaccia, lemon liqueur... With water: similar, but a touch smoother, with a little apple juice peeking through. Finish: fairly long, with similar flavours. A chalky and slightly drying aftertaste. Comments: it’s a fairly straightforward malt, but everything works together very nicely. I find it much better than the first edition we tasted in July last year (WF 83), though Shizuoka has produced even grander expressions.
SGP:461 – 87 points.

Well, Mars rather crushed the competition today, perhaps due to the absence of red Bordeaux in it.

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