2016-03-05 The Yamazaki 12
Skrevet d. 22/10-2016
Technically part of the ‘old world’ of whisky producers (including Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and the United States), Japan has around ten active distilleries. Yamazaki, arguably the most popular and certainly the first, is owned by drinks giant Suntory. You might know Suntory from their sticky-sweet unnaturally-green melon liquor: Midori.
Yamazaki has made quality single-malt Japanese whisky since 1923. With the wild popularity of scotch in that country, it should be no surprise that some enterprising Japanese would set up shop to emulate that venerable liquid. Yamazaki’s malt is made in the traditional Scottish way, but is aged in a combination of ex-bourbon American casks, Spanish sherry casks, and Japanese oak barrels. At 12 years and 43% ABV, it competes on a global scale with its inspiration, scotch.
Appearance: Nice color for a whisky – there’s a faint orange hue that is very appealing.
Nose: Fruit galore – there is a punchbowl of green banana, mango, honeydew, and pear – and a thick layer of pink bubblegum. Subsequent nosings give more and more banana, which is starting to verge on overripe. Under all the fruit is a veiled quantity of malt and cereal sugars. Luckily, after a few minutes of rest, the nose becomes dominated by the bubble-gum note, and not the banana.