Hibiki 12 Year Old Japanese Blended Whisky Review

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I first ran across Hibiki 12 year old Japanese whisky right before they entered the U.S. market a few years ago.  It was right around the Tales of the Cocktail time, and my fiancee Carly obtained a sample bottle for me.  I was pretty stoked because I’d never had Japanese whisky before.  I poured the sample and fell in love.  It took about another year or so before I actually saw a bottle on the shelf.  Needless to say, I picked up a bottle.  That was about a year and a half ago.

Hibiki is a blended whisky put out by Suntory (yes, the same Suntory that now owns Jim Beam).  It’s a blend of whiskies from its three distilleries:  Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita.  These distilleries produce malt whiskies except for the latter which distills grain whiskies.  This particular release is 12 years old, which means the youngest whisky in the blend is 12 years old.  There are many older whiskies here.

So, how is it?  In two words:  really good.  On the nose there’s some fruitiness (plum), floral nots,  some caramel, some smoke, but it all stays very light.  I get different smells every time.  Taste-wise, there’s lots happening here.  Just like it’s aromas, Hibiki 12 year tastes very floral, with some honey and a touch of oak and caramel.  I get a little citrus too.  Orange maybe?  The finish doesn’t linger – it’s short and pretty light.

Hibiki 12 year is 86 proof and will run you about $60.  This is one I’ll always keep in stock.  It’s that good… a very light and flavorful whiskey.  BTW – this bottle looks like a million bucks on your whiskey shelf.

8/10

Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon Whiskey Review

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My earliest memories of Wild Turkey began in college, when the mere mention of  bourbon made people scrunch their faces.  I suppose bourbon wasn’t too popular back then.  Fast forward several years and I come back to it in the capacity of a bourbon enthusiast.

Wild Turkey is 101 proof.  From what I understand, while other bonded bourbons were being released at 100 proof, Wild Turkey tried to best them by one proof point.  That “101” on the label really stands out.  The company has a long history that can be traced back to 1855.  Master Distiller Jimmy Russell has been in the business for 60 years, and his son Eddie is following in his footsteps as Associate Master Distiller.  I’ve read Jimmy prefers his bourbon around the 6 year mark, and that’s about what you get with Wild Turkey 101.  It’s a blend of 6, 7, and 8 year old bourbons.

On the nose, Wild Turkey 101 gives me lots of caramel, cinnamon, and vanilla.  The first sip lets you know it’s bold (partly due to the high proof).  This tastes like what I’d consider to be an excellent example  of standard bourbon – lots of caramel, a little spice (like nutmeg), some vanilla and a little citrus.  The finish is sweet, a little oaky and long.  Delicious.

Wild Turkey 101 is an inexpensive delicious bourbon at about $22.  I’ve had this neat and I’ve had this in an old fashioned cocktail.  Wild Turkey makes an 81 proof bourbon.  At a couple of dollars more, I’d suggest you get yourself a bottle of 101.   You won’t regret it.

8/10

Old Charter 8 Year Old Bourbon Review

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Time for a look into something quite affordable – Old Charter 8 year old bourbon.  My buddy Scott wants to see reviews of less expensive bourbon, or “bottom shelf bourbon” as he put it.   I guess he’s hoping I’ll rate these much lower than the expensive stuff.  Here’s the thing – being on the bottom shelf doesn’t automatically make it a bad bourbon.  I have a saying:  ” There’s no such thing as bad bourbon.”  There’s okay bourbon, and there’s bourbon that’ll knock your socks off.  I’m excluding blended whiskies – I’m specifically talking about straight bourbon whiskey.  This leads me to Old Charter 8 year old.  I’ve seen it on the bottom shelf most places I go, but I don’t think it belongs there.

Old Charter is put out by Buffalo Trace.  It uses the distillery’s Mashbill #1, the same one used for George Stagg, Eagle Rare and Buffalo Trace bourbons.  This one is 8 years old and 80 proof.  There used to be older variations of Old Charter, but now we’re down to this 8 year old.  Buffalo Trace also puts out a 101 proof.  Getting your hands on a bottle that says “Aged 8 Years” maybe be a little hard – the company has removed the age statement from the label and that version is hitting shelves. I’m not sure if they taste the same or not. I’ve only tasted the 8 year old version.

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I get some light caramel and oak, and a little bit of alcohol fumes.  There’s an overall lightness in the aroma.  Taste-wise, it’s pretty smooth and has a nice medium body at 80 proof.  There’s the standard bourbon caramel sweetness and very light oak.   Even a little depth with some butterscotch flavor, but nothing like its flavorful older brother Eagle Rare.  The finish is light and bittersweet.

Thus far, this is a really nice “smooth” sipping whiskey… definitely better than Gentleman Jack.  I find it pretty palatable.  Great for sipping neat or an ice cube.  I wouldn’t add water to it.  Personally I wouldn’t mix it in a cocktail either.  I prefer a little bit more “bite” in my cocktails, and I don’t think Old Charter can offer that.  I picked up a bottle of this for about $17.

7/10