japanese whisky – Page 5

Whisky 2015 – 12-18

12 – Kavalan Solist Vinho
Cola, apricot and formic acid. Loads of vanilla. Tasty.

13 – Springbank Society Members 8 year old
Earthy chocolate, sugar cane, maple wood and dried apricots. Intense fruit sweetness on the palate to begin with candy cane, tobacco, herbaceous, lemon pepper, cream.

14 – Hakushu Bourbon Barrel
Banana bread, cloves and all spice, citrus, vanilla ice cream and formic acid. Fairy floss, banana flavouring and banana fucking milkshake, toasted coconut, even slightly cheesy notes and meringue.

15 – The Single Malt Scotch Whisky Tobermory 19 years – Whisky Exchange
Coconut rough, rubber and vanilla essence. Dried figs and dates, slight rubber and vanilla.

16 – Glendronach 1994 PX barrel 326
Melted butter, cake mix and brown sugar. Butter, vanilla, woody, rock candy. Huge and delicious.

17 – Balvenie Portwood 21
malted vanilla milkshake, dusty, banana. Vanilla and quite underpowered for me. Disappointing.

18 – Limeburners Tiger Snake
Really big hit of cloves, lime zest and ever so slightly dusty. Great palate of cola, cloves, vanilla and coffee.

Whisky 2015 – 2

2 – Yamazaki 21
Brown sugar, over ripe banana, rye bread, maple syrup. Coffee lollies, creamed butter with brown sugar, vanilla, formic acid.

A top whisky except I got price gouged at a nice restaurant. ¥4500 is just completely over the top.

Cocktails at Bar Gen Yamamoto, Tokyo

I’m not a big fruit cocktail kinda guy but all the rave reviews I’ve read about Bar Gen Yamamoto, I had to give it a whirl. And what an amazing cocktail bar it is. More like a sushi bar than a cocktail bar, with a large wooden counter and 8 seats.

Gen-san is a lovely host and his drinks are superb. He happened to have a Sullivan’s Cove American Oak and a get this, Ichiro’s Malt Monochrome Joker! These are used for cocktails mind you. Unfortunately neither were in my cocktails for the evening, however he produced an amazing Yamazaki 12 and Kabocha (Japanese Pumpkin) drink pictured below.

A truly unique and beautiful cocktail bar.

Whisky 2014 – 148-150

I made it to 150 whiskies for the year tonight. That was easy. Maybe I should shoot for 200 in 2015.

So more fun was had at Bar Cordon Noir, Kyoto this evening.

148 – Laphroaig Triple Wood
Boiled sweets, ice cream and seaweed and wood smoke. Citrus and powdered ginger, medicinal, peaty.

149 – Fuji Gotemba Blender’s Choice Bottle 261/500
Amazing fruit and vanilla: strawberries, raspberries and apricot. Fantastic. Coats and cushions the palate, hazelnuts and fruit cup, some banana and black pepper – reminds me of my mums stewed apricots and yoghurt.

150 – Kirin 1981 The Main Malt of Evermore 2003 (022863)
Toasted hazelnuts in brown butter, maple syrup, glue, dusty and egg white. Pink musk sticks, thyme, salt, butter.

Whisky 2014 – 142-146

Ok so I’m in Kyoto. If you’re into your whisky you must head to Bar Cordon Noir. Approximately 600(!) different whiskies.

So my drinking this evening:

142 – Nikka Taketsuru Sherry Wood Finish
Honey, toffee and an easy nose. Vanilla and some cola to finish. Not much too it to be honest.

143 – Ichiro’s Malt 20 Years Old Bourbon Cask
Leather, wood, brown sugar/fake maple syrup, toasted bread crumbs, Terry’s choc Orange. The palate is syrupy and gentle, deep coffee, it really keeps going … Loads of crushed ants.

144 – Yamazaki 2000 Millennium
Slight yeasty banana bread, salty and eventually a strong nose of fresh rye bread and butter. Apricots, vanilla, creamed honey, pepper and salt.

145 – Yamazaki Limited Edition 2014
Banoffee pie, meringue and cola. Vanilla, crushed ants, salty, milk chocolate, rose water. I like this.

146 – Ledaig 18
Peanut brittle, salty almonds, bickfords lime cordial and seaweed. Peat, boiled sweets, white bread toast with melty butter.

Whisky 2014 – 134-137

134 – Cadenhead Small Batch Glengarioch 24
Chocolate, vanilla ice cream, some formic acid, orange zest and nutmeg. Smoke comes and goes, powdered ginger, chocolate.

135 – Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel
Yeasty, cedar, bananas and vanilla cream and cucumber. Dulche de leche! Ginger, meringue and vanilla.

136 – Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu – on the way
Vanilla and toasted grain, yeasty, banana. Great stuff.

137 – SMWS Never Ending Cask at Whisky & Alement
Bacon bits, green herbs, smoke, seaweed. Syrupy, honey and tea then smoke and peanuts. I reckon Caol Ila because of the peanuts.

Whisky 2014 – 130-132

130 – Cadenhead Small Batch Auchroisk 24 Years

Brown sugar and butter, with wattle seed and cola. Buttery palate with a hint of rubber.

131 – Yamazaki 1998 Rare Sherry Cask

Banoffee pie, cola, peanut butter and Pedro Ximenez. This thing is delicious, expensive, but delicious.

132 – Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 1

Spicy banana bread, yeasty, nutmeg and a slight green medicinal tone. I found tropical fruit, almost like the tropical cordial I remember as a kid and some orange peel on the palate.