yamazaki – grey whisky

Whisky 2018 – 126-130, Suntory Essence Tasting

126 – Yamazaki Distillery Exclusive Bottling #258568, 40% (American oak puncheon)
Nose – honey, boiled sweets, green cordial, raw almonds, grape vines
Palate – cream, salt, vines, coffee lollies
Finish – brandy snaps, underripe apples

127 – Hakushu Distillery Exclusive Bottling, 43%
Nose – banana lollies, pine, vanilla, mangos,
Palate – apples, cream, old pineapple, cream
Finish – vines

128 – Essence of Suntory Chita Distillery Grain 2001/2018 4 Years Wine Cask Finish, 49% (corn)*
Nose – raspberry lollies, woody butter, peanut butter, citrus, balsa wood, cream, vanilla, Terry’s chocolate orange
Palate – crushed ants, wine tannins, vanillla, melted butter, milk chocolate
Finish – huge vanilla cream, raspberry leaf, raspberry lollies

129 – Essence of Suntory Hakushu Rye Type 2014/2018, 57%*
Nose – chocobanana paddlepops, berries, jubes, caramel, an old lamington
Palate – pu er tea, raspberry lollies, dirt, minerals, dry ginger, ginseng, coconut gelato
Finish – salt, dusty, my mum’s terrarium, raw chocolate

130 – Essence of Suntory Yamazaki Distillery Peated Malt 2005/2018, 49%
Nose – paprika, smoked ham, lemon curd, band aids, onsen eggs, toast with butter, charred leek
Palate – dusty, pencil shavings, cream, old apples, citrus pith
Finish – cream, medicinal, oily, smoked oily fish

Whisky 2017 – 178-183 – Suntory Tasting

178 – Yamazaki 10
Apricots and cream, leather, sarsaparilla, kiwi fruit. Dry, ginger biscuits, fruit cup, grilled pineapple.

179 – Hokuto
Egg whites, plastic, peanuts, chocolate, toasted grains, chocolate mousse, peanut brittle. Leather, soap, tobacco, passionfruit vine, leather.

180 – Yamazaki Mizunara Cask 18 Years
Apples, lemonade, boot polish, grape jelly, yeast buns, kiwi fruit, orange blossom water, cream in water, instant coffee grounds. Green wood, tobacco, menthol, rubber.

181 – Yamazaki Distillery Limited 2015
Honey, sponge cake, strawberry jam, leather, apricot, rubber. Rubber, vanilla, slightly medicinal, massive vanilla finish, jammy, dry cinnamon, passion fruit vine, tobacco, rock melon.

182 – Berry Brothers 1990 26 year old Craigellachie by Whisk-e for Ginza Zenith
Candle wax, stone fruit, a galvanized fence on a hot day, cheap caramel lollies, hand cream. Old whisky, cream, old apples, wax, cloves, ice coffee, grape skins.

183 – Glengoyne Single Cask 1985 21 Years, Cask 629 *
Brown sugar, orange zest, apple crumble, old apples, wood polish, shaving cream, rubber, maple syrup, soy sauce, musk. Rubber, dark chocolate bullets, old apples, plain corn chips, dry cinnamon, old sun drenched rubber, golden syrup.

Whisky 2017 – 142-148 Japanese tasting

Another great tasting at The Elysian. The Yoichi was the stand out for me. Obviously the Speyside wasn’t a part of the tasting but a birthday dram bought for me.

142 – Mars Malt Le Papillon, 4yo, American White Oak #1558, 58%, 1 of 599 Bottles
Bananas, hazelnuts, kiwi fruit, pound cake, macerated cherries, fruit straps. Oat cakes, butter, salt, lemon zest, banana cake, green gras.

143 – White Oak Akashi 5yo Exclusive for Shinanoya, White Wine Finish #61091, 59%, 1 of 342 Bottles
Rubber, dried pears, soy sauce, slight butter, dusty, red apples. Rubber, peanut brittle, melted butter, toasted grains, salt, roasted onions, white pepper.

144 – Kirin Fuji Sanroku 2016 Limited Edition 18yo Blended Whisky Oloroso Cask Finish, 43%
Cooked apples, ice cream, spiced cloves, reef tanning oil, toasted almonds, butter, crushed ants. Dried peaches and apples, toasted almonds, butter.

145 – Yamazaki Limited Edition 2017, 43%
Pencil shavings, pound cake, muscat grapes, Earl grey tea, red apples. Fruit flan, raw hazelnuts, cream, sandalwood, pepper.

146 – Yoichi Distillery Limited Bottling “Woody & Vanillic”, 55%
Apple snow, leather, pencil shavings, vanilla, boot polish, porridge with maple syrup. Just incredible mouth feel, spice cake, honey, butter, bracken, dried banana, pencil shavings.

147 – Ichiro’s Malt The Peated 2016 Edition, 54.5%, 1 of 6350 Bottles
Banana, chlorine, brown bread, butter, apricot nectar, carob. Hay, grass, salt, ashes goats cheese, toasted peanuts, chocolate, carob.

148 – The Whisky Agency speyside 43 years, 1973
Candle wax, fake clove spice, stewed plums, egg pudding, dried pineapple, mint, cola. Butter, pencil shavings, wax, plums.

Whisky 2016 – 78-81

78 – SMWS 128.6 Rumbling, reverberating resonances (Penderyn)
Wood glue, turps, banana cream pie, Christmas pud. Huge caramel and banana, sweet and delicious, butter and honey.

79 – SMWS 76.125 Enticing sweetness and attractive wood (Mortlach)
Apricot jam, sponge cake, wood turps, salt and pepper. Rock melon, brown sugar, yoghurt, passionfruit vine, brandy butter, great tropical fruit.

80 – Gaiaflow Eigashima Sakura 2015
Wood, chocolate, cocoa, pepper. Honey to maple syrup, butter, pepper, clove, sarsaparilla, flight dusty note. Wonderful whisky.

81 – Yamazaki Whisky Shop WSO-005 2013 (Red Wine Cask)
Red apple, red wine tannins, maple wood, pastrami (?!?), chiffon cake, ginger. Apples crumble, clean and balanced, candle wax, cinnamon, cloves.

Whisky 2016 – 77

77 – Yamazaki Taru Dashi Gensyu 15 Year Pure Malt
Woody, musk lollies, marshmallows, milk chocolate. Creamy, malty, chocolaty, slight herbal and medicinal hit, sulfur and rubber, cucumber skin. Delightful.

Whisky 2016 – 54-56

54 – Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016
Woody, musky, cloves and cola, bubblegum, butter, chicos, flapjacks and golden syrup. Vanilla pudding, spiced rum, sarsaparilla, rubber, pepper, rose water cream, woody.

55 – Signatory Bunnahabhain 2003 12 Years (Sherry Butt)
Passion fruit, peaches, toffee, salt, jersey caramels. Coffee trifle, dried apricots, toffee, pear nectar. This really was outstanding!

56 – Port Askaig 100 Proof
Preserved lemons, iodine, seaweed, brown rice, grapes, smoke, caramel. Cardboard, seaweed, smoked butter, kiwi fruit, leather.

Whisky 2015 – 108-111

108 – New World Double Cask Release #1 (port refill port first fill)
Brown bread, butter, malt, vanilla. Vanilla, pepper, malt. Best New World in ages. The huge banana bread thing is gone. More elegant and interesting. Great length due to the subdued sweetness.

109 – SMWS 119.14 (Yamazaki) Raspberry Imperial Stout
Freeze dried raspberries, vino cotto, chocolate, fake cherry flavoring, something green I can’t quite place, some woody notes, egg whites. Raspberries, maraschino cherries, cloves, slight cream, umami, cinnamon.

110 – Silver Seal Glendronach 22 years (Distilled 1990)
Musk sticks, flowers, golden syrup, molasses, honey, vanilla, yoghurt, stewed apricots, chocolate chips, rocky road. Woody, sarsaparilla, creaming soda, butter.

111 – Cadenhead Glendronach 23 year (Distilled 1990)
Coconut lemon cake, almond meal, eggy cake mix, bran. Grain, eggplant, almonds, weak honey and lemon. A bit disappointing next to the Silver Seal.

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.

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.