At the height of the Japanese whisky craze last year, anything and everything Japanese seemed to fetch quite a pretty penny. Nevertheless, the old adage is that one should really enjoy the whisky and not to hoard it for resale. Though personally, I am of the opinion that the trend might slightly buck, given a number of softer than expected sales at the recent Bonham's auction that Martin attended recently.
Enough with the trend analysis though. Locally, I was at Tokyo Bird recently and Bar Manager Yoshi introduced me to a range of Yoichi 12 year old single malts that they had added to their collection last year. The range comprises three expressions;
all imparting different notes. Though not rare and certainly not astronomically priced, the Nikka line up was thoroughly enjoyable and delicious. The 'Woody & Vanillic' was my favourite of the three with loads of vanilla, oak and strawberry with a lingering finish. It was delicious stuff.
The below shows all three expressions lined up though I can't seem to find the original shot so I am relaying my Instagram take of the shot.
Enough with the trend analysis though. Locally, I was at Tokyo Bird recently and Bar Manager Yoshi introduced me to a range of Yoichi 12 year old single malts that they had added to their collection last year. The range comprises three expressions;
- 'Sherry & Sweet'
- 'Woody & Vanillic'; and
- 'Peaty & Salty'.
all imparting different notes. Though not rare and certainly not astronomically priced, the Nikka line up was thoroughly enjoyable and delicious. The 'Woody & Vanillic' was my favourite of the three with loads of vanilla, oak and strawberry with a lingering finish. It was delicious stuff.
The below shows all three expressions lined up though I can't seem to find the original shot so I am relaying my Instagram take of the shot.
Nikka Yoichi Woody & Vanillic (55% ABV, 12yo, Yoichi, Japan, $1,480HKD)
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The nose and palate pack quite a bit of sophistication and I do like the big hit of vanilla though the 'woodiness' may not resonate with everyone. Quite a simple dram that you can enjoy any day of the week.
Colour: Amber
Nose: Exciting - there's loads of vanilla, banana, raisin and sweet candy.
Palate: Rich and chewy, the vanilla continues on the palate and you can also taste the oak (perhaps what led to the woody name). I also get a nice layer of sweet notes; sweet red frogs (candy), strawberry, pineapple. The palate then slowly fizzles and becomes peppery, black pepper.
Finish: Reasonably long though quite oaky and tannic.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100.
Cheers
Hendy (Sydney).
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