Yamazaki SMWS 119.12 "Chewy and cheek sucking"

Here are my tasting notes for a Yamazaki (山崎) bottled from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS). As far as I am aware the SMWS is the only independent bottler that bottles Yamazaki (and Hakushu for that matter).

So this is the 119.12 "Chewy and cheek sucking" bottling, aged for 16 years, bottled and released in 2010, matured in Japanese mizunara oak. Mizunara (ミズナラ) oak has some interesting influences on the whisky and you can read more in this nice article on Nonjatta.

262 bottles, non coloured, non chill filtered, at cask strength with 54% vol.

• Nose: Sweet, spices, honey with curry, dry oak without tannins, sandalwood, cedar wood, adzuki (sweet Japanese red bean paste), after some breathing it gets a bit more peppery with more curry and less honey. Water brings out a tad menthol.
• Mouth: Thick and oily, rich and spicy, a tad cinnamon
• Finish: Curry again, sweet'ish, spicy, sandalwood, incense stick / Japanese temples, at the very end again  a tad menthol

Comments: Very unique nose and overall profile. The spicy curry is great and the sandalwood and cedar wood is very present but without any tannins. Enjoying this one quite a bit and it's unlike anything else I tasted so far.

89 points

Mizunara Oak (quercus mongolica)