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| Hello, that is one among our (virtually) every day tastings. Santé! |
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October 25, 2024
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The final Japanese and just a little pink wine
The final for now, after all. Some older classics quickly.
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Ichiro’s Malt & Grain ‘Pink Wine cask’ (59.8%, OB for Spirits of Salud, single mix, Château Gruaud Larose, 272 bottles, 2023) 
Seemingly a single mix given a double maturation in that pink wine barrique for 3.5 years. So, we’ve received a mixture of malt, grain, French oak and a splash of very younger Saint-Julien. Proper, right here we go, dangle tight… Color: apricot. Nostril: a contact of inexperienced pepper and sulphur at first, adopted by soot, burnt nuts, and a few darkish nougat. There’s potting soil and dried mint leaves in there too. With water: not a lot of curiosity for me, to be trustworthy. A bit like a drained barrel—in any case, that’s what it’s. And let’s not neglect that these casks typically maintain very younger wines certainly, virtually undrinkable, since one of the best Bordeaux ages within the bottle after its time in oak. Mouth (neat): quite odd. Bitter oranges, inexperienced peppers, allspice, and ginger. With water: a slight enchancment. Melted pink peppers, chocolate, aubergine, and black pepper. End: lengthy however a contact dissonant, with some cassis and overripe strawberries rising in direction of the top. Feedback: given how essential vintages are for Bordeaux wines, they actually ought to inform us which classic the cask did maintain. A kind of very uncommon Chichibu (and co.) releases I really don’t look after, although the opposite two ‘Spirits of Salud’ editions have been completely, completely, completely splendid! (WF 90 and WF 91).
SGP:671 – 70 factors. |
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Chichibu 8 yo 2016/2024 ‘Bordeaux Pink Wine cask’ (65.5%, OB, LMDW Foundations, cask #14044, 268 bottles) 
Completed in Pauillac as an alternative of St Julien, however this one’s a single malt. Color: gold (thank goodness). Nostril: a lot better, no sulphur this time, with a touch of pine resin and, nicely, traditional Chichibu. There’s additionally a whiff of blood orange. With water: fairly nice, with notes of cake, cherry stalk natural tea, and puffs of peony, however no actual pink wine affect… Mouth (neat): not unhealthy in any respect, once more leaning in direction of citrus and pink peppercorns, with a handful of cherries and a few black pepper. But it surely’s (cough) very robust. With water: sure, fairly good certainly, with the return of these blood oranges and a contact of Szechuan pepper. End: quite lengthy, with strawberries, pepper, and a touch of fir honey. Feedback: we have been on edge the entire time, however in the long run, it’s positively Chichibu.
SGP:661 – 83 factors. |
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We’ll see if the impression of European oak is absolutely as important as they are saying…
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Mars Tsunuki 4 yo 2020/2024 ‘Tsunuki getting old’ (60.3%, OB, LMDW Foundations, Spanish Virgin oak, cask #T1880, 283 bottles) 
Color: darkish pink copper. Nostril: nicely, that is each uncommon and charming. We’ve received outdated plum eau-de-vie (vieille prune), some superbly ripe wild strawberries, eucalyptus, thyme, a hearty dose of top-notch PX, a touch of marc de Bourgogne, and camphor… Can all of this actually come simply from contemporary Spanish oak? With water: wilder notes now, with morels, mosses, eucalyptus wooden, and caramel rising… Mouth (neat): oh, however that is wonderful! I’m undecided what they’ve performed to that poor Spanish oak when it comes to toasting, however it’s labored wonders. There’s outdated Demerara rum (suppose mature Port Mourant), chocolate, extra of that outdated plum, some super-strong Trappist ale, and toffee… With water: completely very good, now with added tobacco, bay leaves, and blood orange. End: lengthy, with cracked pepper, coriander seeds, candy woodruff, and a touch of Belgian mandarin liqueur. Feedback: what a superb discovery! I’d have guessed a single malt from a tiny distillery in Washington state. In any case, that’s not too far-off (we’ll chip in and get you an atlas, S.).
SGP:652 – 89 factors. |
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Mars Komagatake 5 yo 2018/2024 ‘Komagatake Getting older’ (62%, OB, LMDW Foundations, bourbon, cask #4295, 180 bottles) 
Color: gentle gold. Nostril: macarons, biscuits, custard, nougat, apricot cake, and all types of melons. How may anybody object to that? With water: gummi bears and a bag of pear-flavoured sweets. A nostril that brings out the kid in us. There’s additionally a touch of contemporary plaster within the background. Mouth (neat): my phrase, that is wonderful. Vanilla, mint, orange, varnish, kiwi, and white Meursault. And sure, I’ll say it once more, pink Meursaults do exist. With water: such intense fruitiness! Excellent use of the bourbon cask, although the lychees in syrup and ripe pear might come throughout as only a tad dominant. End: medium size, extra on citrus, with a contact of candied angelica on the finish. Feedback: I feel we’ve pulled issues again properly right here (feeling smug, S.?).
SGP:641 – 90 factors. |
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Final one. Subsequent Japanese station, not earlier than December. Until, no wait, a bag of outdated Nikkas simply got here in, it’s going to be laborious to withstand…
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Shizuoka ‘Pot Nonetheless Ok Japanese Barley 2023 Version’ (55.5%, OB, 2023) 
Effectively, I quite doubt anybody would have the ability to inform the distinction between overseas barley and Japanese barley within the whisky. Hmm, certainly. Color: gentle gold. Nostril: flour, contemporary bread, baker’s yeast, grapefruit, fougasse, crushed slate, and… yuzu. In fact, yuzu. With water: think about lemon juice and crushed chalk, labored along with a pestle. Attempt to image that. Mouth (neat): we love this rustic, farmyard model, so near the uncooked substances. Grapefruit seeds, grist, chalk, focaccia, lemon liqueur… With water: comparable, however a contact smoother, with just a little apple juice peeking by way of. End: pretty lengthy, with comparable flavours. A chalky and barely drying aftertaste. Feedback: it’s a reasonably simple malt, however the whole lot works collectively very properly. I discover it a lot better than the primary version we tasted in July final 12 months (WF 83), although Shizuoka has produced even grander expressions.
SGP:461 – 87 factors. |
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Effectively, Mars quite crushed the competitors immediately, maybe as a result of absence of pink Bordeaux in it.
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