japan

Karuizawa 1981/2011 Cask 2634

May 20, 2012

After a very gentle start on the palate, this dram almost bursts into a taste explosion. There is a lot to explore in this malt, also the nose grows larger than Pinocchio’s after a while – Rating: 94/100

Karuizawa 1981/2011 Cask 6207

May 20, 2012

Rich in flavour but not overly complex, sweet and fruity but also a little edgy. – Rating: 86/100

Nikka Taketsuru 17 yo

August 5, 2011
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Well-balanced and very complex, this is very fine example of a Japanese vatted malt. The general character is rather dry with the fruity notes remaining in the background. – Rating: 87/100

Karuizawa 1990/2009 for Whisky Live

July 30, 2011

A very fine sherry profile is somewhat disturbed by a quite strong spice and alcohol punch. – Rating: 84/100

Nikka “Black” Pure Malt

June 21, 2011
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While the nose of this blended malt is quite fruity, its palate is suprisingly savoury. This is a very intriguing whisky composition. – Rating: 87/100

Hanyu “Two of Diamonds” 1991/2008

June 8, 2011
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Despite its age this malt has quite some punch. A gentle carress on the nose is followed by a karate kick right into your mouth. – Score: 82/100

Nikka From The Barrel

April 11, 2011
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This is a very high quality blend with a stunning density of flavours and an emphasis on sherry. The affordable price makes it a very good deal. Rating: 87/100

Yamazaki 18 yo

November 23, 2010
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A very rich sherry monster with a highly complex flavour profile. You can taste the age but the wood influence is only very gentle. – Rating: 90/100

Karuizawa 15 yo

October 11, 2010

A great balance between smoke and full-flavoured sherry. Very very nice, but the 40% bottling strength makes it a wee bit watery. – Rating: 85/100

Karuizawa 1985/2009 Cask #7017

July 24, 2010

Sulphur is not always a welcome addition to a malt’s aroma, but for this whisky I think it works phenomenally well. It is interwoven with dozens of flavour notes and none really sticks out. There is so much going on in that extremely complex whisky. A true cracker of a dram! – Rating: 94/100

Suntory Yamazaki 12 yo

March 9, 2010
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A delicately balanced mix of fruit, smoke and spice. Sophisticated but still not too complex for casual sipping. Very good. – Score: 85/100

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