The Mysteries of Japan, a few unusual whiskies


April 24, 2024

The Mysteries of Japan, a few unusual whiskies

Japanese whisky remains enigmatic, ranging from the very authentic to the completely counterfeit, the blends of the two, the fakes that have become real, the improbable categories, the distilleries that don't exist, the shochu-whiskies, the malts that are grains... Let's have a bit of fun!

Wakame (La Fourche)

Nikka 'Pure Malt Black' (43%, OB, Japan, +/-2023)

This already ancient range of three 'made in Japan' whiskies includes this Black, a White, and a Red. Naturally, all the retail sites present them as purely Japanese whiskies, based on Yoichi and Miyagikyo, but fifteen or twenty years ago, everyone knew they were vatted malts or blends that included a good dose of Scotch, like Ben Nevis (which belongs to Nikka) and Ardbeg. And nobody was complaining , given the already established reputation of these Scottish distilleries and the very sweet price of these Nikkas at the time – prices which have quadrupled since then. I add that they are not necessarily blended malts, since unless I'm wrong once more, 'Coffey malts' are considered malts in Japan, whereas in Scotland they would be grains, as it's the type of still that decides, so to speak. In short, I don't know what's in my glass, but I know it's a 'Product of Nikka' and that it can be very good. It's been 20 years since I've tasted the Pure Malt Black! Colour: gold. Nose: lovely peat, nice fruitiness, indeed a Ben Nevis-like sensation, this earthy, basaltic and slightly salty and mustardy side, with a bit of new leather, this very nice pepper, these touches of menthol, these green walnuts that seem to indicate the presence of sherry... In short, it's a very nice nose, whether it's 100% Japanese malt (which it doesn't seem to be) or a world blend. Great work from the master blender. Mouth: oh but it's excellent! Marmalade, tobacco, pepper, more mustard and coffee (this combination is vomitive in real life, but it works in a whisky), slightly burnt walnut cake, a strong salinity, a very present smokiness, bitter oranges... And the low strength is never a problem. Finish: rather long, still on this dry but not drying style. Mint and salted liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: I really like it a lot, forget my overly long and superfluous introduction.
SGP:564 - 88 points.

Right, we have a dilemma, do we continue with very old blends or with brand-new malts from 'New Japan'? Okay, let's try the young ones, three from 2018, take a break, and then taste two precious old ones from Suntory...

Kanosuke 4 yo 2018/2023 (55%, OB, Japan, distillery exclusive #7, rechar bourbon cask, cask #20458, 814 bottles)

Before you start to wonder how they managed to pull 814 bottles from a bourbon cask, please note that these are 20cl bottlets. Colour: gold. Nose: what we were expecting, that is to say something pretty crystalline, while being smokingly coastal and lemony. And after three minutes, many more breads, some sourdough, and thousands of litres of fermenting wash (watch your spectacles). Right, a washback in action. With water: smoked mussels, kippers, a little gasoline… Mouth (neat): will you believe me if I say that this is somewhere like the Pure Malt Black, only at cask strength? And yet, that's what I'm getting, mustard, smoke, tobacco, salted lime, a touch of cucumber juice, a little oregano, and a lot of salted liquorice. Did they let some friends from northern Europe roam the warehouse? With water: even closer to the Nikka. How bizarre… or not. No Ben Nevis in this Kanosuke, naturally! Finish: long and very saline, with some lime and cucumber juice, and even a drop of gherkin brine. Comments: we're fans of Kanosuke and just wrote a few wee lines about it in the latest edition of Whisky Mag French edition. I think, I don't think it's out yet.
SGP:564 - 89 points.

Shizuoka 2018/2024 'KS + WS' (46.6%, OB, Japan, for Sushi + Soul, peated, bourbon barrel, cask #939)

Sushi + Soul is a wonderful Japanese restaurant in Munich Germany (Glockenbachviertel, Klenzestraße 71 – that's easy right) they carry a huge assortment of Japanese whiskies (not Just Nikka Days and Hibiki, right – nothing wrong with those, of course). This is one of their own Shizuokas, fresh from the bottling line. I suppose they have a bottling line at Shizuoka, have they not? Colour: gold. Nose: pim pam poom, peat, mango, citron, lemon curd, coriander leaves and Thai basil. High-definition Shizuoka, not overly complex but could it be at just 4. Add elements from some ocean, I'm reluctant to mention wakame since that would be too easy with a Japanese whisky. Well, there, wakame salad. Awesome nose, pretty easy. Why make things difficult. Mouth: a feeling of serene fullness. Salty peat, more citron (if I mention yuzu you kill me – well, there, yuzu), gentler peppers (Szechuan, Timut), elderberry liqueur (Nussbaumer in Alsace make a great one, so much better than 'that famous brand')… And probably a little ginseng and some fresh raw wholegrain bread. Finish: long, a tad more gingery, and always with these smoked lemons, some olives, some gherkins, some capers and even some pickled samphire. Comments: dare I add that it would go very well with sushi, without you making fun of me? Wonderful young Shizuoka.
SGP:555 - 90 points.

Shizuoka 2018/2024 'KS + WS' (46.3%, OB, Japan, for Sushi + Soul, peated, bourbon octave, cask #287)

I think we'll be close to the previous one, so we'll go quickly to save the planet (digital pollution is becoming madness, it seems, I think I might restart a printed newsletter as I used to do before 1995 – and I hope the Scotch Whisky Review will do the same). Colour: gold. Nose: joke aside, yes it's close but oddly, I find this one less marked by the cask, and even cleaner, closer to bread, barley, yeasts, but also to rubber, camphor, virgin wool, fresh shrimp, wet sand at low tide... And tar. I believe my heart leans a bit towards this one. Mouth: magnificent lemons and sea water. It seems more potent than the other, more acidic too, with a wonderful bitterness (seaweed, finger lime). Great tension, it's like a very grand Chablis matured exclusively in refill. Finish: long, more on yeasts and acids, fermentations, even glue, with a bit of raspberry vinegar, perhaps. What beautiful tension. Comments: the other was more modern, perhaps easier, while this one offers an incredibly salty and lemony side. And it's a bit sadistic, make of that what you will.
SGP:565 - 91 points.

A vatting of both casks is a drink of the angels and of the devils (perhaps WF 92) . Alright, we take the promised break and then come back for two possibly mad Suntory whiskies... or not, we shall see, they are a little unusual.

There we are, we're back.

Suntory '60th Anniversary of Kotobuki Seihan' (43%, OB, Japan, blend, 60cl, 2006)

Apparently, Kotobuki are printers. That's good, they could print my new newsletter. Impossible to know, or even guess what's inside the bottle, could be fully Japanese, could be Bowmore, could be anything else. Colour: gold. Nose: In any case, it's certainly not pure Bowmore, that's for sure, but there's a nice little maritime and smoky edge to it, even if the whole remains light, on a quite classic combination of toasted bread, wax, old wood and old books, as well as a slight camphoric and sandalwood side which, ultimately, does give it a 'Japanese' aspect indeed. A few tinned fruits, particularly rambutans – not something you find too often in our whiskies. Ultimately, it's the coconut that comes through, and that, that comes from the grain. Mouth: it's really good, definitely a high-level blend, with aged malts, even if as usual, after a very, very nice initial mouthfeel, the structure becomes a bit thin due to the grain. So not much chew, but very nice notes of flambéed bananas, black sesame ice cream, sweetened Earl Grey tea, old rum, herbal teas, rooibos. Finish: slightly short, but with more ham, old wax, a bit of caramel... Comments: there's a very charming side to this Suntory blend. A friend once told me, "you recognize blends by the fact that you put ice in them." Well, you shouldn't say that to our Japanese friends, but in this case, I wouldn't add ice, nor water for that matter. And by the way, congratulations to the people at Kotobuki, eighteen years belated.
SGP:652 - 86 points.

Suntory '50th Anniversary of Video Promotions, Inc.' (43%, OB, Japan, blend, ceramic, 2010)

This one is said to shelter some Yamazaki 1960 (!) ex-mizunara barrels (!!) and other old Yamazakis. Malt freaks don't know much about Suntory's numerous and rather crazy celebratory decanters (think about the Rolling Stones') but indeed it is a whole world, pretty close to that of the old Jim Beams (ah, the chainsaw decanter!) and, after all why not, to the Bell's bell decanters. What some people do not seem to gather, having said that, is that evaporation tends to strike these wonderful objects pretty heavily. Anyway, Yamazaki 1960, anyone?...

Colour: deep gold. Nose: easier, lighter, rounder than the Kotobuki, more on straight cakes, pastries, macaroons, scones… There are a few old teas and embrocations in the background, but all in all, this is an extremely civilized blend that rather feels middle-aged, like 25. Wait, am I not getting some acacia flower fritters? Mouth: much more action on the palate, oxygen has not taken its toll yet, or perhaps was this one particularly well sealed? When you think that certain distillers, including a Scottish one starting with M, sell some of their decanters lying down in some boxes... it's a disaster waiting to happen, or proof that no one cares about the liquid inside. Frankly, they might as well put tea or Colorex in there, it wouldn't make a difference. Indeed, some have done this for decorative bottles intended for shop displays, which bottles now find themselves, some of them at least, at auction. Well played. Well, this Suntory is very good, it's becoming drier and drier, with very nice touches of mushrooms, cigar, leather (previously called Russian leather, but that's a recently outdated expression). Nice salty and mentholated touches, old wood (is that mizunara?), even more tobacco, then chestnut honey, yellow chartreuse, black nougat, black Assam tea... It's a very great blend, that's certain. Though one would dream of it being at 46%, or even 50% ABV. Finish: not very long but even more complex, this time with broths rich in herbs, chives, chervil, parsley, then mushrooms... Mushrooms are fascinating beings, did you know that... O-kay, right, that's for next time. Comments: a very great blended whisky and a decanter that seems to hold up very well. You just have to give the whisky inside a little time. One of the best blends I've recently tried. Like, after Covid.
SGP:562 - 90 points.

There we have it, that was truly an extremely unstructured Japanese session.

(A million thanks, Chris and Logan!)

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