Twenty-Third Tasting

Island whiskies from Islay and Skye have been a focus of some of our tastings from time to time, but for this twenty-third BUMS tasting we look a bit further a field for some interesting island drams, to the Island of Japan.

The history of Scotch-style whisky making in Japan goes back to about 1923 when Japan’s first distillery, Yamazaki, was opened. Yet even today, after over 90 years of Japanese whisky making, it is difficult to find Japanese whisky in the US (at least the Midwest) except for Yamazaki, but as more Japanese whiskies gain prominence and good reviews outside of Japan, that scarcity here may soon come to an end. (See Yamazaki tasting notes here.)

We’ll share a taste of the Orient with these three Nipponese whiskies: Yoichi 15-year old, a single malt;

Nikka Pure Malt Black, a NAS (no age statement) vatted whisky; and Hibiki 12-year old, a high-end blend.

Hibiki is just starting to be available in the US, and Nikka just announced they will soon distribute in the US, but

has not said which products and Yoichi is not currently available stateside.

Hibiki 12-year old, 43% ABV includes malt whisky from the Yamazaki Distillery and Hakushu Distillery, as well as grain whisky from the Chita Distillery. This whisky is matured partially in plum liqueur casks.

There is also a Hibiki blend with no age statement as well as a 15-, 17-, 21- and 30-year old. Hibiki 12 is a

product of the Suntory Holdings Limited. Suntory is headquartered in Dojimahama 2-chome, Kita-ku, Osaka, Osaka prefecture.

Japanese blends differ from Scotch blends in that all the single malts come from within one company. There are said to be about 30 different single malt styles in this blend, but they are all Suntory products. Suntory has many different still types, various malted barleys and casking strategies that allow them to make multiple styles of whiskies, but they only have two single malt distilleries and one grain distillery.

In Scotland, blends are made up of some singles and grain whisky that are usually owned by the blender, but they also buy whisky from highly flavorful distilleries they don’t own, as part of their recipe.

In December 1924, Shinjiro Torii, founder of Suntory, began construction of the first Japanese whisky distillery, Yamazaki Distillery, in the outskirts of Kyoto. In 1929, Suntory Whisky Sirofuda (White Label), became the first Japanese single malt whisky sold in Japan.

In I973 Suntory built the Hakushu Distillery at the foot of Mt. Kaikomagatake in the Yamanashi Prefecture.

Their Grain Whisky Distillery, Chita, is located in the Aichi prefecture, south of Nagoya.

Today Suntory owns the Bowmore, Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch Distilleries and has distribution ties in Japan with Macallan, Bowmore, Laphroaig, Glenfiddich, Jack Daniels and Ballantine’s.

Suntory has other non-alcoholic beverage business interests in food, beverages, restaurants, sports, flowers and other products and services.

For you film fans, Bill Murray’s character is filmed for a fictional ad for Hibiki in the movie, Lost in Translation.

The name Hibiki can be translated as the word “Echo” or “Harmony”. The older Hibiki blends were launched in 1989 but Hibiki 12-year old was only launched in 2009. Jim Murray, in his 2011 Whisky Bible, rates Hibiki 12 an 89. The nose he describes as, “lots of vanilla and boiled yam” and describes the taste as, “a fizzing delivery with an impressive, slightly juicy marriage between barley and oak. The grains offer a light oily diversion.”

The Raise Your Spirits website offers a review and rating of 9 1/2 out of 10 with these notes:

Nose: Plum, honey, caramel, pineapple, custard, cinnamon and spice, tangerine, berries

Taste: Tangerine, oak, caramel, sweet and mellow, with a slight sourness, and of this is incredibly well balanced.

Finish: Hibiki 12 has a spicy and fruity, long finish. When [you] take your first sip, it makes your mouth water, but then finishes dry like a Highland Park. This has one of the smoothest finishes I’ve ever experienced.

John Hansel of Malt Advocate magazine rates this whisky an 88, with these notes, “Well-rounded, solid malt backbone, and very drinkable. These are the main characteristics of this impressive blend. Honeysuckle, vanilla-coated malt and fruit (pineapple upside down cake, lemon tart, plum, bramble) are the primary flavors. Ripe barley, marzipan, beeswax, and clove round out the palate. Gentle, soothing finish. Suntory can make a 12 year old blend this good with just two malt distilleries? Scotland, are you taking notice?”

Hibiki 12 won a San Francisco World Spirits award in 2009 and 2010 and a 2010 World Whisky Award for best Japanese blend 12 years and under.

Price: $40-60 plus shipping (Note: European bottle size 700ml, US size 750ml.)

Nikka Pure Malt Black, 43% ABV, is a vatted malt (also called blended malt – multiple singles with no grain whisky) made up of singles from Nikka’s Yoichi (also known as the Hokkaido Distillery) and Miyagikyo distilleries (also known as the Sendai Distillery). It is predominantly Yoichi.

From the Nikka Distillery website: “Of Nikka’s two malt whisky distilleries, Yoichi produces rich, peaty and masculine malt. The whisky gets its distinct aroma and body from direct heating distillation, in which the pot stills are heated with finely powdered natural coal--the traditional method that is hardly ever used today, even in Scotland.” (This gives credence to our discussion in our last meeting regarding the method of heating stills affecting the character of the whisky. Yoichi also has a cast iron worm tub, another flavor builder, according to Charles MacLean.)

In 1934, Masataka Taketsuru established the Nikka Distillery (initially as a fruit juice company) in Yoichi, Hokkaido. He came from a family who owned a Sake brewery that goes back to 1733 and continues to produce to this day.

In 1918 he became the first Japanese to study the art of whisky making in Scotland and also enrolled at the University of Glasgow. He studied whisky making at Longmorn, Ben Nevis and Hazelburn Distilleries, and also married a Scottish wife before returning to Japan. From 1920 to 1934 Taketsuru worked for Shinjiro Torii at Yamazaki. Taketsuru died in 1979.

Nikka bought the Ben Nevis Distillery in Scotland in 1989 bringing Nikka back to Taketsuru’s roots in Scotland.

In addition to Nikka Pure Malt Black, Nikka also produces a Nikka Pure Malt White and Red. White is a vatting of an unspecified Islay single and Yoichi, while the Red is a vatting of Miyagikyo and Yoichi, mostly Miyagikyo.

In Jim Murray’s 2011Whisky Bible he rated two different batches of Black at 92 and 95. “A great balance to the nose with a careful sprinkling of barley, honey, peat and oak – but never too much of any…massive, ultra–intense sweet malt with a delicate sub-stratum of smoke; a spiced fruitiness also cranks up the weight and depth…vanilla kicks in as it thins surprisingly fast [on the finish].”

Robin Laing of Whisky Magazine was less enthusiastic but rates the Black a 78 with these notes:

Nose: Beautiful solventy notes of paint box and turpentine; also aniseed boiled sweets and a lady’s fur coat on a mahogany cabinet. Morphing into porridge with honey; toffee later.

Palate: Syrupy, mouth-filling, warming, fruit punch, chocolate, hint of mint.

Finish: Smooth dark chocolate with a late spicy kiss.

Comment: Warm, cozy, wrap-around dram.

Price $40-60 plus shipping, note: 500 ml size

Yoichi 15-year old, 45%ABV, is also from the Nikka Distillery and as stated above is the heavier of the two whiskies made by Nikka, described as “rich, peaty and masculine.”

Yoichi 15 year old is rated 95 by Dave Broom of Malt Advocate magazine with these notes:

“Nikka’s first distillery is located in the eponymous town [Yoichi] on the western coast of Hokkaido. Here, power is the key. Deep and rich with a distinct oiliness — somewhere between linseed and cod liver — there’s also plenty of smoke in the mix as well, and a little hint of black olives in brine with ripe apples lurking behind. I hate making comparisons between Japanese and Scotch single malt but if I was forced to, Yoichi reminds me most of Springbank (edging into Longrow). Water dampens the personality too much for me; best have it full-on and uncompromising. Rather than the palate showing a slow procession of flavors along the tongue, this is a layered whisky; coal-like, oily, and richly fruited with a distinct saltiness on the sides, ably demonstrating that Japan has almost as much variety on offer as Scotch.”

The Master of Malt website notes describe Yoichi 15 thusly: The nose is gentle and creamy with light fruits and a little nutty development. The palate is quite sweet with notes of subdued peat, winter spice and a nutty note. The finish is long and beautifully bittersweet.

Jim Murray rates this dram a 91.5 with these notes, “Surprisingly quiet and well behaved considering the light smokiness drifting about…nutty, chewy and with lots of early toffee. Juices up to puckering effect as the barley and phenols strikes home…sweet and spicy in the right places as the malt begins to find its legs and goes up a notch or two…Great fun; great whisky – could be better still, but so much better than its siblings…”

Yoichi 15 gets an 84 in the 6th edition of Michael Jackson’s Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch with

these notes, Color: Rich amber. Nose: Pipe tobacco, chocolate-coated almonds, cinnamon and vanilla. Body: Oily. Palate: Spicy, with cloves, ginger and dark chocolate Finish: Nutty, spicy, dried fruits.

A little smoke and oak. Complex.

Price: $100-$140 plus shipping, 700 ml size

BUMS Tasting Notes Still to Come

Other media on Japanese Whisky:

http://www.winemag.com/Wine-Enthusiast-Magazine/Web-2010/Japanese-Whisky/

http://raiseyourspirits.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/japanese-whisky-suntory-hibiki-12-year/

http://cocktails.about.com/od/whiskeyreviews/fr/Hibiki-12-Year-Old-Japanese-Whisky.htm

http://blog.thewhiskyexchange.com/2009/05/tasting-notes-suntory-hibiki-12-years-old/

http://www.drinkingmadeeasy.com/2011/04/yamazaki-whisky-from-the-land-of-the-rising-sun.html

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/category.asp?cat_id=W_JAPA

http://nonjatta.blogspot.com/2010/06/nikka-pure-malt-black.html

Late Breaking News

After posting the notes above, I started receiving input from fans of Japanese Whisky, stating that of all the Nikka bottllings their fave was the Nikka From The Barrel. Luckily our Nikka order had not shipped yet (caught it in the Nikka of Time as the sales rep said) and I was able to change from the Nikka Pure Malt Black to the Nikka From The Barrel, 51.4% ABV. Here are some notes on this blend which is made up of grain and malt from the Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries:

From reviewer Dramtastic on the Japanese whisky web site, Nonjatta:

Nose: Lots of chunky malt, mixed peel, dried apricots. A bowl of mixed nuts, wood stain and some subtle florals.

Palate: Just excellent! Tons of big beautifully integrated spices, creamy nuttiness, nougat and malty goodness. No need for water with this one as it's perfectly drinkable neat.

Finish: Long, warming, malty, nutty, spicy and mouth coating.

General comment: This is my No.1 "bang for your buck" whisky, bar none. Fortunately, it is not only good value in Japan, but also in Europe and the UK as well. A firm favourite with most of the people I know who've tried it. Sneak this one into your next blind tasting and I defy anyone to pick this as a blend. A two time award winner at the World Whisky awards, I find it very hard to stop at just one glass of this stuff.

Rating: 91/100.

Dave Broom of Whisky Magazine rates this a 92

A high-strength blend that takes no prisoners. The color is full gold and the first thing that hits the nose is a complex mix of restrained smoke (sandalwood, cigar), fennel, and celery before semi-dried tropical fruits and orange peel take over. The palate also shows some of that mango character, but also crisp oak and a burst of sweet powdered spices on the finish. A malt-lover’s blend.

Awards:

Best Japanese Blended Whisky, no age statement, category at The World Whisky Awards 2007 and 2010

Japanese Distilleries/Owner

Yamazaki (Suntory)

Hakushsu (Suntory)

Yoichi (Nikka)

Miyagikyo (Nikka)

Fuji Gotemba (Kirin)

Chichibu (Ichiro’s Malt/Venture Whisky)

White Oak (Eigashima Shuzo)

Shinshu (Hombo Shuzo) closed 1992, plan to reopen 2011

Twenty-Third Tasting -Hibiki 12-year old, Nikka Pure Malt Black and

Yoichi 15-year old

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Yamazaki Distillery

Hakushu Distillery

Bill Murray in

Lost in Translation

Nikka Distillery

Masataka Taketsuru

Comments?

E-mail Mark@scotch-tasting-bums.com or

go to the BUMS group page on Facebook or

drop a line on TUMBLR

Hibiki, Nikka, Yoichi and more can be found at Master of Malt

June 8, 2011 Tasting Notes and Meeting Wrap-Up

We launched our 23rd tasting at Besim’s. Mary and Mike were absent but we had guest Shawn Tucker as a sub. Before embarking on the tasting Nancy suggested that we all pay our $20 per meeting Booze Dues, 6-12 months in advance. I think that is a great idea and would like to hear from everyone on that subject, yea of nay. It would help me tremendously on the cash flow end of things as each tasting is an outlay of about $300 when you count the dues for our “star” bottle and the two additional bottles that the designated members pay for and keep for that tasting.

On to the whisky. The Japanese whiskies were very high in quality and had a wide range of flavors. Bill, Besim and John listed the Yoichi 15 as their favorite, partially because it tasted more like what we are used to, that is single malts, the other two whiskies being blends. The Hibiki 12 was certainly and easy drinker and John thought, more of a Scotch and water whisky. For the rest, the Nikka From the Barrel was their fave.

My notes on the whiskies:

Hibiki 12, 43% ABV. On the nose there was a light sweetness with lots of vanilla and a lightly fragrant flower blossom scent. On the palate it had a lot of fruit sweetness upfront, from the plum liquer aging, I assume as well as a starchy cereal flavor with loads of vanilla. Light and balanced with a gentle finish. 80-85

Yoichi 15, 45% ABV. On the nose, fruity, nutty, with some smokiness. On the palate, vanilla and coconut sweetness, fruity, a bit woody, malty, and nicely cinnamon spicy and a slight oiliness. A bold presence. 85-90

Nikka From the Barrel, 51.4%ABV. On the nose, malty, vegetal, nutty, slight acetone whiff. On the palate a delicious balance of sweetness, fruitiness, nuttiness, cinnamon spiciness, caramel, maltiness, dried fruits. Very long, back of the tongue, spicy finnish. 90-95

Till the next dramfest....

Slainte!