Yamazaki Limited Edition 2015

Now that the Limited Edition seems to be a yearly thing and I really enjoyed the 2014 one it's time to taste the 2015. Bottled again at 43% vol with no age statement.

• Nose: Sweet mango, strawberries, sweet oak, honey, apples, 
• Mouth: Oily, green grass and malt, tropical fruit juice
• Finish: Very light smoke and very very light peat, fruity, chestnut cream, lingering oak, rather long

Comment: A lovely summer dram, fruity and light but with depth. Some aspects feel like old whisky while others feel young and fresh... I guess that reflects a bit the whisky used in this NAS.

87 points

Yamazaki Limited Edition 2014

The Yamazaki Limited Edition 2014, so far released exclusively in Japan replaced the other Yamazaki NAS special releases for 2014. This one was aged in Sherry, Port and American oak cast with ages up to 20 years or so.
Bottled with 43% vol. and sold for a for Japanese whisky nowadays very reasonably price of around 65€.

• Nose: Honey melon, red berries, Katjes Tropenfrüchte - gummies with tropical fruit flavor, green grass, Sherry (PX'ish)
• Nose: Light oak, grassy, malt and berries
• Finish: Malt, fruits, sugar syrup, sherry, a moderate amount of oak, not overly long

Comment: A lovely NAS Yamazaki, rather fruity and well integrated all around. Maybe here and there a hint of harshness of some younger whisky shimmers trough. The for Yamazaki very unusual Port cask is very well integrated. While it works very well at 43% I think a little bit more wouldn't have harmed.

87 points

Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve

So I finally got around to taste the more or less recently released Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve. This NAS bottling replaced the 10 year old Yamazaki in the lineup. Bottled at 43% vol.

• Nose: Not overly sweet - some light sugar water and flower nectar, unripe apricot, a tiny little bit alcohol, grain, fresh sourdough bread,
• Mouth: Creamy and moderately oily, not too much body, a bit hay and meadow flowers maybe
• Finish: Slightly sour yellow fruits, very fresh, hints of oak, green vegetables ...celery sticks, spinach, sugar water

Comment: A lovely light and easy to drink whisky. Ideal for to enjoy during a mild summer night - too bad it's winter right now. Comparing it directly to the 12yo Yamazaki - the next step up in the lineup the 12 year old is much more full bodied in the mouth with more oak in the profile and much rounder as a whole package. But it's a worthwhile replacement for the discontinued Yamazaki 10yo.

81 points

(2014)

Yamazaki 1984

Here we go with tasting note number 100!
Aged in Japanese Mizunara, Spanish (sherry butt) and American oak casks and bottled at 48% vol.
This one is 25 years old and bottled in 2009 limited to 2500 bottles.

• Nose: Initially very subdued, needs 20~30 minutes to fully open up. Then you get some light sherry sweet tropical fruits like papaya and mango honey and light tobacco, sandalwood, generally quite rich and thick. Over time a mint note develops.
• Mouth: Oily with some sherry, fresh and fruity oak
• Finish: Long with different oaks, sugary sweet and honey, sherry, spices oranges and exotic fruits, with a few drops water a rich vanilla note develops

Comment: Excellent all around! Rich and fruity with superb nose and finish. Very harmonic and sweet with much to discover everywhere. Love it.

92 points

Yamazaki 2000 Whisky Shop W. 3rd. Aniv. #EO70049

An anniversary bottling for the Suntory W. Whisky Shop in Osaka. Aged in Spanish sherry butts for 13 years and bottled with 59% vol. You can read a bit more about the bottling on Nonjatta.

• Nose: Very light smoke with tons of sherry, some glue, oak and a bit walnut. With water you get oranges, prunes and some mint.
• Mouth: light oak, clean oloroso sherry
• Finish: Sherry, warm and oily, quite a long finish with oak and other woods at the very end

Comment: Almost as usual an excellent sherry Yamazaki that tastes older than it is.

90 points

Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel - NAS (2013)

The 2013 version of the Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel. Bottled at 48% vol. and with imited bottle output like with all Suntory yearly releases.

• Nose: Dry oak, lots of honey, slightly grassy and floral, with water more fruity sweetness and molasses
• Mouth: Honey, slight oak, grassy and malty
• Finish: Warm and long with honey and sweet oak

Comment: Very enjoyable. Maybe not the most complex Yamazaki but sweet and immensely drinkable with no faults.

86 points

Yamazaki Mizunara - NAS (2013)

The 2013 version of the now annual special Suntory releases. This one has aged for an unknown time in Mizunara (Japanese oak) casks. Bottled at 48% vol.

• Nose: Exotic fruits - especially papaya!, vanilla, marzipan, sweet juicy oak and tobacco, some of the sandal wood. Water makes it a bit more harsh with tannins and resin
• Mouth: Oak, honey, some light sandalwood - water adds some tannins
• Finish: Warm and sweet with honey and some light sandalwood again. Water results in tannins and resin again with the feel of a pine forest

Comment: Quite excellent with a great nose and rich flavor. Water is rather detrimental in my opinion and primarily adds harshness. Maybe could have used some more time in the cask(s) and certainly on the expensive side for a NAS bottling...

87 points

Yamazaki Puncheon - NAS (2013)

And for today I tasted the Yamazaki Puncheon with no age statement with 48% vol. I already tried the 2012 and 2010 versions and I despite the for some maybe a bit unexciting Puncheon cask I quite liked it.

• Nose: Pears, oak, apple-pear juice, slightly lemon zest, honey, some beeswax
• Mouth: Very oily, wax
• Finish: Grassy with spices, pepper, still very oily, cereals

Comment: I liked this one better than the 2012 version I think. Very oily all around and quite fruity as well.

86 points

Yamazaki Sherry Cask - NAS (2013)

This years (2013) edition of the much beloved Yamazaki Sherry cask. Bottled at 48% vol. with no age statement and dark Oloroso sherry color. Usually sold out pretty quick.

• Nose: Oloroso sherry, a touch mint, some light oak and grass, prunes, umeboshi
• Mouth: Sherry, thick and creamy, water brings out quite a bit of oiliness, cherry with berries marmalade
• Finish: Warm, sherry, red grape juice, some light oak and bark

Comment: A flawless straightforward sherry beast. A few drops water work pretty well. Although the price increased over previous installments it is still very good value.

89 points

Yamazaki 1999-2012 Puncheon #DQ70030

A seemingly Japan only single cask Yamazaki aged for 13 years in a puncheon cask. Bottled at 58%.

• Nose: Very bourbon'ish on the first sniff, honey, wax, fresh cut grass, with some water light oak and dry
• Mouth: Wax, dry, honey
• Finish: Honey, honey cake, light christmas cake, plenty spices, long

Comment: While the honey is not overly dominant it's always there. Quite enjoyable and it had more depth than I expected.

85 points

Yamazaki 25

The Yamazaki 25 is quite a premium bottle and the last of the affordable standard bottlings for Yamazaki with the 35yo and the 50yo being beyond good and evil in pricing.
Bottled at 43% vol.

• Nose: Sherry, prunes, ripe cherries, oak, honey, sandalwood, whiffs of methanol and mint
• Mouth: Sherry, chocolate
• Finish: Dry oak, long, sherry and cherry, quite fruity at the very end, some tobacco and tannins

Comment: Fantastic nose with lots of depth, but the meager 43% really hold the mouth and finish down with both feel a tad weak and watery

88 points

(2013) - but I have no idea from when the bottle was. I think it gets released in batches...

Yamazaki 1996 - 2009 - 12yo Whisky Live! Japan #AX 70012

Another Suntory, this time a Yamazki, bottled for the Whisky Live! expo.
This 12 year old Yamazaki was aged in a sherry butt and bottled at a solid 60% vol.

• Nose: Dry sherry, dry oak, red fruits, rose hip, milk chocolate, oak, with water the nose is dryer with more oak
• Mouth: Sherry, chocolate, oak
• Finish: Sherry, oak, red fruits, warm & long, with water a touch tanins

Comment: A quite good sherry Yamazaki that feels older than the 12 years :). Very drinkable even at 60% and I think this one works better undiluted.

88 points

 

Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel - NAS (2012)

Like the sort of sister bottling, the Yamazki Puncheon this ones comes at 48% vol with no chill filtration and no age statement. I already tasted  the 2010 version back then and like it a lot.

• Nose: Honey, vanilla, fruity, thick sirup, dry straw
• Mouth: Fruity & round
• Finish: Warm, sweet, full, mild spices, honey, vanilla

Comment: Very fruity again and nice smooth honey and not as vanilla as many bourbon casks are. So this is highly recommended. As I said in the Puncheon 2012 post, time skews my rating scale which is always a problem with rating some as personal as taste with absolute values.

87 points

Yamazaki Puncheon - NAS (2012)

I already tasted the 2010 version of this Yamazaki Puncheon. Bottled at 48% with no age statement and no chill filtration. I'm tasting it together with the 2012 Bourbon Barrel, so lets see.

• Nose: Wax and hay, grasses, sawn wood
• Mouth: Very speyside, oak, fairly dry
• Finish: Oak, drying, malt, a touch tanins

Comment: Not as round as the bourbon cask, but nice flavors all around. "Simple" whisky on a high level. Compared to the bourbon barrel this is more grassy, dry speyside and doesn't have the fruityness. I gave higher points to both, the puncheon and the bourbon barrel last time around. Not really sure if it is worse or better or the same in direct comparison, but time really skews ones rating scale I guess.

85 points

Yamazaki Puncheon - NAS (2010)

This Yamazaki is a limited release from 2010 bottled at 48% without chill filtration. It was matured in large 480 liter puncheon casks which should theoretically allow for slower maturation. The bottle comes with no age statement however. There is also a 2011 release with the year mentioned on the box and front label, but that release is Japan exclusive so far.
My tasting notes for this one:

• Nose: Honey, beeswax, hay, sweet buttery flowers (kingcup), very thick although with a light profile, some slight pepper, a little bit wood influence reminiscent of dry tree bark, with a bit water the nose gets some juicy fruitiness
• Mouth: Sweet, beautiful honey notes, cereals, very smooth and quite oily
• Finish: Medium long with some vanilla, a bit oak, a tiny bit peat?, Kellogs Smacks, malt, at the very end fruits again with apple, pears and apricots

Comment: Very well balanced and rounded. The nose is a bit hard to make sense of on first nosing but enjoyable nonetheless. 

86 points

Yamazaki, The owner's cask LMdW, 1986 Mizunara Butt, 6G5029

A personal favorite here

This unique Yamazaki (山崎) was distilled in 1986 and bottled in 2006 (20 years old) as part of Suntroy's Owners Cask series for La Maison Du Whisky in France. As the previously reviewed SMWS 119.12 Yamazaki this has been aged in Japanese Mizunara (ミズナラ) oak which still is a bit of a rarity. You can read a bit more about Mizunara on Nonjatta.

Bottled at 60.0% vol. cask strength with 405 bottles. A bottle did initially cost around 150€ I believe. Worth noting is the beautiful golden-orange color.

• Nose: A lot of oriental spices, juicy sweet oak, sandalwood, a tiny bit oak in the background, thick and rich, with water a bit more oak and a tad pepper
• Mouth: Spiced syrup, light whiffs of Japanese curry rice, oak, some sweetness but generally more dry
• Finish: Very long, warm, spices, sweet oak, a bit flower nectar, soy sauce in the background but without saltiness 

Comments: Amazing! Very unique and loaded with flavors on different layers. A lot to discover everywhere and just a pleasure to drink. It's usually really hard to come by a whisky aged in mizunara oak, so if you get the chance to sample or buy it make sure to take that chance to experience something quite unique!

93 points

Quercus mongolica var. crispus aka Mizunara oak

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)

Yamazaki 12

The Suntory Yamazki (山崎) 12 is probably one of the most available Japanese whisky in the world and the first point of contact to Japanese whisky to most who tried it.

It's bottled at 43%.











 My tasting notes:

• Nose: Flower nectar, honey-water, meadow in the morning, a bit dried fruits, a little bit of mellow oak, slightly nutty , a very Higland'ish profile I'd say

• Mouth:  Mild, delicate flowery, a bit grassy, dried apricots,

• Finish:  A bit malty with a touch honey, initial sweet'ish then drying, some wood influences - very nice, medium long

Comments: Very smooth and extremely drinkable. In a blind tasting you would probably identify this as a Higland whisky. The mild oak influences gives depth.
While a good whisky it can hold no candle to the Yamazaki 18 which is the real star of the Yamazaki core range and plays in a different league compared to the 10 and 12yo.

82 points.
(2012)

Yamazaki, The Cask Of, 1993, Heavily Peated - 3Q70048

A bit of a rarity, a peated Yamazaki! Distilled in 1993, bottled in 2008 (according to math that's 16 years) at 62% vol and limited to 503 bottles.
Aged in a White Oak Puncheon cask.

• Nose: Peat and smoke, Gouda cheese, Herbs, sweet tropical fruits, ashy fire place
• Mouth: Medical, peat, smoke, subtle herbs and flower nectar
• Finish: Long'ish, peat, smoke, dry and sweet

Comments: The peaty Yamazaki works excellent! And the peat isn't overpowering to the more subtle Yamazaki flavors out of the white oak cask. Very well worth trying if you run across a peated Yamazaki.

88 points

Yamazaki 10

The entry level bottle of the Yamazaki line. (but I just read there will be a NAS introduced soon for Yamazaki as well as for Hakushu which probably will be younger) The 10yo only comes bottled at 40% vol. in comparison to its older brothers at 43%.

• Nose: Malaga raisins flowery, a tad alcoholic
• Mouth: very soft, flowery, grass, slightly sweet
• Finish: Light, fruity, Apple, short

Comments: It really suffers a bit from the low % vol. I think it would win a lot from 43% or higher. But as it is it just feels a bit too weak. It is very accessible and smooth thou and would be a good beginners dram.

79 points
(2011)