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Karuizawa x3/Yamazaki /Hanyu /Suntory/Taketsuru/Fuji Gotemba

 
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lincoln imp
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Joined: 23 Dec 2007
Posts: 751
Location: Lincolnshire England

PostPosted: Sun Nov 14, 2021 7:08 pm    Post subject: Karuizawa x3/Yamazaki /Hanyu /Suntory/Taketsuru/Fuji Gotemba Reply with quote

Japanese whisky H2H

All official bottlings

Fuji Gotemba 40th Anniversary 46% 2013 OB single grain.
87/88/88
Takestsuru 21 year 43% 2010 blended malt (yoichi & Miyagiko).
85/83/85
Suntory The Peninsula Tokyo 43% 2014 blend (Yamazaki/Hakushu/Chita).
94/88/89
Hanyu 1990/2007 cask 9511 55.5%.
89/89/90
Karuizawa 1981/2012 sherry butt 162 55.8% Cocktail Series for LMDW.
91/91/90
Karuizawa 1981/2013 sherry butt 155 56% Noh whisky.
91/89/89
Karuizawa 27 year bottled 2017 sherry/bourbon 59.1% Noh whisky.
93/92/92
Yamazaki 1990 18 year cask ON70645 sherry butt 60%.
91/93/93



Started off with the Fuju Gotemba single grain,which is different to Scottish grains I have tried and thought it was very good.
Taketsuru blended malt is ok but for the price poor
Suntory the nose is great but the palate is swamped by oak, shame
Hanyu all round is pretty good
Karuizawa Cocktail butt 162 pretty good all round
Karuizawa butt 155 not bad just a little too bitter
Karuizawa multi vintage ,very good vatting of 4 casks,good balance
Yamazaki 1990 very good

The best Japanese whisky I have tried are the Karuizawa 1967 & 1968 vintages both scored at 95 points but I suspect right now I would score them around 93 points as my palate has changed in the last few years.

The people who purchased these bottles when they were released all I can say was smart move because the price now at auction is horrendous,the yamazaki can go for 5k,which is beyond silly.
Most of the Karuizawa/Yamazaki single casks are heavy sherry and walk a fine line with being too oaky,they are good quality drams for sure but in my view do not match the best that Scotch whisky has to offer. Scotch whisky that is aged is far too expensive now but when compared to the absurd prices of Japanese whisky they start to become an attractive proposition.

Tasting notes


Fuji Gotemba 40th Anniversary 46% 2013 OB single grain

A big surprise, lighter than a Scottish grain, easy going distillate, very good.

Nose
87
Light, white fruits,dry grass, honey & a faint hint of menthol, a little orange coming through.
Scotch grains smell a little different to this,much more cream on the nose, something different,I like it.
Taste
88
Sweet yellow plum and mango,lemon puff biscuits, icing sugar,hint of white pepper
Finish
88n
The finish is quite long,pleasantly warming, alternating between the sweet fruit and the spicy notes but the sweetness wins through in the end

Takestsuru 21 year 43% 2010 blended malt (yoichi & Miyagiko)

Nose
85
A full on nose that has earthy and vegetal notes mixed with pastry.
Honey, yellow plum, faint cough syrup, wet stones,putty,hints of pepper.
Taste
83
Thin mouthfeel at first but it does improve as you goon.Lots of pepper, some bitterness from unripe fruits and a little wood.
If you took the spice away there would be precious little left.
Finish
85
This is the best part by far, warming and finally, thankfully some fruit sweetens things up but is is too late to dispel the fact that the palate is weak.

Suntory The Peninsula Tokyo 43% 2014 blend

This is a chameleon of a whisky,the nose is lovely and the the palate and finish has signs of greatness but the whole things is held back by the wood and almost ruined but the quality of the whisky saves it.
If the palate and finish had been as good as the nose this would have been 94-95 points.
This is `the one that got away` so to speak, it could and should have been great all round, that said it is still a good whisky.

Nose
94
That is a nice nose for sure,rich & deep.
Rich dark fruits,black cherry,black currants,then red currants bubblegum, the sherry is uber rich, slight pepper and a little peat perhaps?
There is so much going on it is hard to take it all in.
The big question is,can the palate deliver what the nose promises?
Taste
88
Very rich.almost too rich but immediately it falls flat from a tide of woody bitterness that blunts the sweetness considerably.
As you go on the fruit sweetness is trying very hard to overcome the wood and it has some parity at times but unfortunately never outruns it which is a great shame.
There is rich fruit cake,plump dark raisins ,black cherry, red, plums, cinnamon whirl pastries, plenty going on
Finish
89
Shame, the wood makes a triumphant return and once again blunts the enjoyment becoming thin again but there is also some nice spice notes and again hints of sweetness.

Hanyu 1990/2007 cask 9511 55.5%

This is pretty good but you have to like spice.
Nose
89
Bags of spice at first, pine cones (you don't get that very often) white pepper,ginger, a little plum.
a hint of orange,
Taste
89
Mouthfeel is good,the spice explodes across your tongue but it is not heavy,what is not as good is the balance,the spice is very top heavy and pushes everything out but my enjoyment is not really hampered , which is what counts at the end of the day.
Orange mixes with ginger and pepper and various other spices
Finish
90
This is the best part, very soothing sums it up nicely.

With a little water,the only change is that it is slightly less sweet.

Karuizawa 1981/2012 sherry butt 162 55.8% Cocktail Series for LMDW
Tasted with a few small drops of water.

Nose
91
Nice nose, orange, cherry, black cherry, treacle, dark honey, brown wholemeal toast, then a little raspberry & damson jam.
After 5 minutes or so a wood varnish note (a pleasant one) and freshly sawn dark wood (mahogany fits the bill).
Taste
90
Spicy, very spicy but not very sweet on orange,ginger pepper and a little Iron Bru, lordy Smile
As you go on it improves because it sweetens up becoming what can only be described juicy.
The balance is good
Finish
90
Remaining spicy but loosing a little sweetness

Karuizawa 1981/2013 sherry butt 155 56% Noh whisky
Tasted with a few small drops of water.

Quite fresh on the nose, with a slight charred wood note. This is the first Karuizawa that reminds me of a bourbon, it is the spice and a ceder wood note.
As the nose suggested there is plenty of spice but there is a bitter note which detracts.
The fruit does increase with a nice red plum note and some raspberry note.
The finish remains spicy with a faint metallic note coming in.
Nose
91
Taste
89
Finish
89

Karuizawa 27 year bottled 2017 sherry/bourbon 59.1% Noh whisky
Tasted with a few drops of water.

Masses of dark fruits mixed with some red fruits on the nose, this has some depth to it for sure.Again like the 1981 cask 155 it reminds me of a bourbon.
Not as spicy as other KZ but the balance is good.
The spice note grows as you go on, with a red gooseberry note and ever so slightly sour red plum but that is not a problem.
The spice just keeps growing and the finish is long because the spice note does not fade which is a big plus.
This is more evenly balanced than most of the single casks I have tasted from this distillery,perhaps a vatting of casks best illustrates the plus points of the Karuizawa distillate?
Nose
93
Taste
92
Finish
92

Yamazaki 1990 18 year cask ON70645 sherry butt 60%

The nose has the obvious massive sherry hit and it is quite an elegant sherry
Blackcurrant,blackberry,rich dark fruit jams, slight bourbon spice note,this is about as rich as you can.
This is thick & syrupy on the palate, with some oak making an appearance.
Mixed dark fruit jams,black cherry blackcurrant with hints of raspberry,this needs even more water which smooths things out,the balance is good.
The spice is sweet,the sherry is sweet,just a little bitterness but it is within acceptable limits.
You can't knock the quality,this is a great cask but these bottles are going for over 5k at some auctions which is beyond madness for a whisky of this vintage/age.
,
Nose
91
Taste
93
Finish
93
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Quaich1
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Joined: 21 Apr 2012
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 14, 2021 9:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nice indeed. I remember being on a rooftop restaurant in Tokyo in 1981 in August and sipping a variety of Suntory whiskies. Brings back memories of tasting the good stuff.
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lincoln imp
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Joined: 23 Dec 2007
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Location: Lincolnshire England

PostPosted: Sun Nov 14, 2021 10:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quaich1 wrote:
Very nice indeed. I remember being on a rooftop restaurant in Tokyo in 1981 in August and sipping a variety of Suntory whiskies. Brings back memories of tasting the good stuff.


If only we could re visit 1981 prices , just for a day, hold that thought for a moment Smile
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