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| Hello, that is one in every of our (nearly) every day tastings. Santé! |
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June 26, 2025
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For a change, at this time we’re switching from Laphroaig to Japan, however we ought to be again to Laphroaig by subsequent week.
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A stroll in new Japan, Half 1
Let’s see what we’ve…
(Shindo Distillery, Shindo)
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Enso (40%, OB, Japan, Blended Whisky, +/-2024) 
‘A premium mix stated to embody the concord between East and West’, they declare. Effectively, at the least that’s clear. Additionally they say, ‘The story of ENSO Japanese Whisky unites custom and riot to create a whisky that celebrates inventive freedom and expression.’ Who might be in opposition to that? Now, is there even a single drop distilled in Japan inside this suspiciously fairly bottle? Color: straw. Nostril: extraordinarily gentle, a tad dusty, paying homage to a low-strength tutti-frutti eau-de-vie. A bit vanilla, apple juice and cardboard. Mouth: candy, sugary, featherlight, it vaguely brings to thoughts Cuba’s Previous Havana whisky beloved of Fidel, in addition to gentle Scottish blends comparable to Bell’s, William Lawson, Passport and that entire tribe. End: quick but not disagreeable. Feedback: a neat train in brand-building, typical of the pre-Covid period. The liquid may be very gentle but not off-putting, to be completely honest. But it surely’s no Enso… Ferrari (now that’s intelligent, S.!)
SGP:321 – 70 factors. |
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Tenjaku ‘Pure Malt’ (43%, OB, Japan, +/-2024) 
We did come throughout a ‘mix’ model at 40% some 5 years again that was slightly dire (WF 60). Color: straw. Nostril: pretty dry, slightly malty, although with none actual roughness. Bruised apples, soggy breadcrumbs, the faintest whiff of rye, a contact of pepper, vanilla, and a touch of cooked turnip. Truthfully, not dangerous. Mouth: very barely salty, decently malty, however gentle within the flavour division. Bread, white pepper, vanilla, apple juice, a light sweetness, with splashes of orange liqueur that do raise issues. End: quick, candy, not disagreeable. Feedback: fairly respectable, clearly a step up from the standard Enso.
SGP:431 – 76 factors. |
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Ichiro’s Malt & Grain ‘twentieth Anniversary’ (48%, OB, World blended whisky, 2024)
If solely all Japanese blends or blended malts that aren’t completely, or in any respect, Japanese had been labelled as ‘world blended whisky’, it could clear up fairly a little bit of the lingering suspicion post-charter/affiliation. This child is alleged to include Chichibu, outdated Kawasaki and Hanyu, in addition to Karuizawa and Benriach. Color: gold. Nostril: this isn’t Chichibu’s ‘clear line’, which might be not possible anyway, the entire feels extra ‘historic’ than organoleptic, however it’s very good, malty, with a very good dose of American oak, vanilla, coconut, sponge cake, and each black and inexperienced teas… Mouth: way more presence than on the nostril, with syrups (cane, agave) and loads of resinous wooden, vanilla, coconut, Earl Gray, and faint notes of triple sec… I discover it genuinely good, even when it does really feel a bit ‘blended’. However then once more, it’s a mix. End: medium in size, with sweetness stepping up, nougat, fruity sweets… Feedback: mixing a ‘historic’ combine like this, with outdated Hanyu or Kawasaki grain, have to be fairly the problem. This is superb certainly!
SGP:651 – 87 factors. |
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Ichiro’s Malt & Grain ‘Allegro’ (60%, Spirits of Salud, Symphonie, cask #14915, 240 bottles) 
Color: gentle gold. Nostril: seems like a single malt, and admittedly, slightly Chichibu-esque, with loads of chalk, ash, inexperienced banana, mercurochrome and recent barley. With water: a contact of mint arrives, fir buds, eucalyptus, a whisper of camphor, grated lemon zest… Mouth (neat): highly effective and exact, unique (barely underripe mango) and ashy. Not a fantastic deal to analyse, it’s merely superb and really pure. With water: the ashiness involves the fore. Pretty rigidity all through. End: lengthy, all the time very exact, one wonders whether or not there’s truly any grain in there. The inexperienced banana and mango surge again within the aftertaste. Feedback: that is what we’d name ‘the clear line’, which is kind of one thing in a mix, even when technically it’s a ‘single cask blended whisky’. Merely wonderful.
SGP:652 – 90 factors. |
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Ichiro’s Malt & Grain ‘Allargando’ (59.2%, Spirits of Salud, Symphonie, cask #12132, 267 bottles)
This should be slower… Color: amber. Nostril: extra marked by roasted nuts, praline, chocolate, sherry, turrón, tobacco… With water: lifeless leaves, the grain whisky is extra current right here, with a high-column rum observe, pine needles, and a faint sprint of soy sauce, one may name it ‘umami’. Mouth (neat): bravo, it’s like biting into an orange and raisin cake soaked in triple sec, with a couple of drops of amaro. With water: it relaxes and features a contact extra complexity, although it stays total pretty smooth, with a slightly gentle texture. Orange and nuts. End: medium in size, that rum-like observe nonetheless displaying. Feedback: I clearly desire the Allegro, however that’s completely a matter of private style, as ever.
SGP:650 – 86 factors. |
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Shindo Distillery 3 yo 2022/2025 (56%, OB, Casky unique, Mahjong Sequence ‘4 Circles’, bourbon barrel, cask #177) 
A brand-new Japanese distillery, and right here comes its very first classic! One other first for WF HQ, the distillery lies in Fukuoka Prefecture, on the northern coast of Kyushu. Color: white wine. Nostril: pure, exact, unadorned, nearly austere, and clearly untouched by any fiddling. If one had to attract a comparability, one may consider an Islay distillery that begins with ‘L’ and doesn’t finish in ‘lin’. With water: ashes, iodine tincture, new tweed, seaweed, bandages… Mouth (neat): a flawless younger peater from Isl—er, Kyushu. Truthfully, you could possibly be fooled, it’s wonderful, within the fashion of that 10 yo C/S. You get the thought. With water: much more so, exceptional actually, regardless of the pears of youth displaying by way of. End: lengthy, softer, a tad ‘sweeter’ than L, seemingly owing to its tender age. Feedback: extraordinarily spectacular, that Japanese precision once more.
SGP:657 – 88 factors. |
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We have a couple of Saburomaru from Wakatsuru, we’ll style one at random, however the others can be with us very, very quickly.
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Saburomaru 2020/2024 ‘IV Highland Peat’ (48%, OB, Japan, The Emperor, bourbon, 12,500 bottles)
Additionally they use Islay peat, for the document. We did have a beautiful Saburomaru closely peated for The Auld Alliance again in April this 12 months (WF 90). Color: white wine. Nostril: it’s very tight, however in the very best means. Ashes, recent concrete, damp chalk, inexperienced pepper… Mouth: oh drat, that is far too good and much too straightforward to drink at 48%. At cask energy at the least, there’s a bit of labor concerned, and it reins in your thirsty enthusiasm so to talk (barely exaggerated, granted). Anyway, it’s simply too excellent at 48% vol. These smoky and salty tangerines are merely elegant. End: not particularly lengthy, a contact sweeter and softer. One should discover one thing to grouse about. Feedback: cracking bottle. I haven’t checked the worth, hopefully it’s not eye-watering.
SGP:656 – 89 factors. |
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I believe we’re heading in the direction of one thing of an epic showdown between the brand new Japanese distilleries (and others in Asia) and the brand new Scottish ones (together with the revived ones like Brora, PE, and many others.), with advertising that is way more product-focused and academic. The following few years are going to be fascinating too, with the seemingly improvement of the CtC angle… (Reduce the Crap!). Ah, we’re prepared, aren’t we? Certainly we’re not going to maintain up this little WF insanity simply to gulp down unbelievable, NAS wineskies from Bowtonbulin or The GlenBizarre, are we…
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