Reviews

Hakushu 12-Year-Old Japanese Single Malt Whisky Review
Photo courtesy of Beam Suntory

Photo courtesy of Beam Suntory

The Hakushu Distillery, owned by Beam Suntory, sits at the foot of the Japanese Southern Alps, surrounded by forests.  I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting, but a quick internet search shows some breathtaking images.  The distillery was the company’s second, built in 1973.  It produces a different style than the company’s other major distillery – The Yamazaki.  Hakushu delivers a fresher and more herbal style.

The core lineup consists of a no-age statement Distiller’s Reserve as well as 12-year, 18-year, and 25-year-old expressions.  The 12-year-old expression is bottled at 43% and retails for about $70.

Japanese whisky is as popular as ever, seeing record sales.  However, Hakushu 12-year doesn’t seem to be as popular as Yamazaki 12-year or Hibiki as I still see it on shelves.

Hakushu’s website describes this 12-year-old expression as “green with herbal notes.”  That’s an accurate summary.  A short menthol blast on the nose starts things off, soon developing into waves of freshly mowed grass, lime zest, tangy Granny Smith apples and malt.  There isn’t an overt toffee note, but it’s in there.  In terms of taste, Hakushu 12-year-old comes across as what I’d best describe as candied herbs.  It’s nice and different.  Some tropical fruit, basil and lime juice are the main players here.  Sweet malt and green apple show up in the mid-palate alongside a bit of smokiness.  The long finish is full of sweet, sour and malty notes, leaving behind a lone pine note after some time.

Well that was different.  Different, but delicious.  I can say I’ve never tasted a whisky quite like this.  It’s zesty notes keep things fresh, while the herbal note and smoke add some unique character.  It’s an excellent year round whisky.  Hakushu 12 is a great choice, and comes with my recommendation.  Just know it’s not your ordinary whisky.

8/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by Beam Suntory.)

Hibiki Japanese Harmony Whisky Review

Hibiki Harmony

Goodbye Hibiki 12-year-old.  Hello Hibiki Japanese Harmony.  In an attempt to manage its whisky inventory against a skyrocketing global demand, Suntory has discontinued the excellent Hibiki 12-year-old.  In its place is this new non-age statement blend, Hibiki Japanese Harmony.

Hibiki 12-year-old was my introduction to Japanese whisky, and it couldn’t have been a better foray into the category.  Unfortunately, that bottle is long gone.  As luck would have it, the timing couldn’t have been better.  It gave me a chance to try Suntory’s new blend.

Like the discontinued blend, Hibiki Japanese Harmony is bottled at 43% abv.  A 750mL bottle should run about $64.99, which is roughly what the 12-year-old expression cost.

There’s a bit of freshness in the nose, probably due to younger malt or grain whiskies in blend. It’s light and floral, and full of fresh fruit, light honey and vanilla underneath a layer of oak.  There’s some slight sherried malt and saccharine sweetness on entry.  Delicate floral notes, citrus and oak make up the majority of this malt.  Like the 12-year-old, a hint of smoke appears on the backend.  The finish is moderately long with lingering honey.

So the big question is does this new Japanese Harmony stack up to it’s predecessor?  In short, it’s a worthy replacement.  It successfully captures the essence of the old while moving into the future via no age statement.  In a straight comparison, the 12-year-old is slightly richer and smokier.  However this new blend is no slouch.  Do away with your prejudices and pour a glass of Hibiki Japanese Harmony.  I think you’ll like what you taste.

8/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by Beam Suntory.)

High West Midwinter Nights Dram Review

High West Midwinter Nights Dram 2

High West one of the country’s premier craft distillers (I know that term is contentious).  Yes, they are distilling whiskey, but the majority of their current stock is sourced whiskey.  That doesn’t matter as they have a master’s skill in blending what they do source.  Just look at their excellent Bourye, a blend of bourbon and rye whiskey.  Or their solid and very enjoyable Rendezvous Rye.  However, High West Distillery is not content on resting on its laurels.  They find themselves experimenting with different blends and finishes.  For example, they’ve taken their Rendezvous Rye and finished it in ex-port casks and French oak casks.  The result is A Midwinter Nights Dram, a play on Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

High West Midwinter Nights Dram 1A Midwinter Nights Dram is a limited release whiskey, usually hitting shelves in the fall.  My sample bottle is Act 3, Scene 1, which translates to the third batch and first bottling day.  It’s bottled at 98.6 proof… yes, that’s the average body temperature.  The suggested price is $90, which is a $40 premium over High West’s Rendezvous Rye.

The base whiskey is High West’s very solid Rendezvous Rye.  It’s a blend of a 6-year-old rye whiskey (MGP-distilled rye whiskey with a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley) and a 16-year old rye whiskey, produced at the Barton distillery.  That one carries a mashbill of 80% rye, 10% corn and 10% barley.  This blend of rye whiskies is then finished in both French oak barrels and ex-port barrels.  French oak casks usually impart some spiciness to whiskies, while the port barrels will add some fruit notes.

That 95% rye from MGP is known for it’s prominent dill aroma, and it’s the first note out of the glass.  Past that are wonderful aromas of cinnamon dough, sweet vanilla, light toffee, and fruit tart.  A blast of warm cinnamon spice hits your tongue on entry, developing into dark brown sugar, a not-so-sharp and semi-sweet rye grain.  Candied orange peel ever so slightly peaks through the bed of flavors.  The port barrel finish provides some much welcome dried fruits in the form of dried black cherry and dried plum.  Aged vanilla and oak lead us to the long finish filled with rich toffee and baking spice.

I previously said and still stand by my statement that Rendezvous Rye is a solid whiskey, especially for its $50 price tag.  But taking that rye further with a short, secondary maturation in port and French oak barrels has turned it into a completely different whiskey.  Well duh!  But is it good?  No.  It’s utterly fantastic.  A Midwinter Nights Drams is promoted by High West as the perfect wintertime, fireside dram.  I think they’re spot on.  The whole tasting experience almost comes across like a Christmas cake with it’s sweetness and spice, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that.  This one comes with a very high recommendation and is on the shortlist for my favorite whiskies of the year.

9/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by High West.)