r/whisky

Can’t wait to try these out

Hi all, I'm back with more Suntory whiskies, this time more Yamazakis from Suntory's limited special releases- the Tsukuriwake series!

The Suntory Tsukuriwake series were a set of 4 to 5 special cask Yamazakis (and in one occasion, also a Hakushu), which were released in limited numbers in select years. In contrast to Suntory regular shelters' 43% abv (86 proof), all bottles of the Tsukuriwake series were at a stronger 48% abv (96 proof), which gave these whiskies a much more robust profile than the regular releases! 

(For those more familiar with bourbons, the Yamazaki Tsukuriwake series is kind of like Suntory's equivalent of Sazerac's BTAC series, except they are usually sold as a whole set and only rarely individually.)

I've been rather curious about how exactly the different years' Tsukuriwake series differ, and as luck would have it,  I've managed to get my hands on drams of the entire 2020 and the 2022 series! As these two releases had very similar set of whiskies, they're perfect for this comparison!

Shortly before the automod decided to send my account to the shadow realm, I had just finished the comparative reviews for the series' Yamazaki Spanish Oak bottles.

Time to pick up from where I left off- this time, for the bourbon cask Yamazakis of the series, the Yamazaki Puncheon 2020 and 2022!

Details in comments!

Distillery: Macallan
Bottler: Decadent Drinks
Vintage: 2005

Whiskybase

Despite being an IB this isn’t single cask. Blend of two 1st fill sherry casks. ABV 57.1%

Second series of tasting review for samples I got from the no longer so mysterious incredible Japanese whisky fan.

I always have high expectations for Decadent Drinks. Not because I have much experience with their bottles, but because the hype around Whisky Sponge Springbank was so incredibly high (espc. Westie Sponge Ed. 3 Springbank 24y).

Wow this absolutely smells like Macallan. It’s nothing like those modern IBs. This is as good as old Macallans. The closest one I can relate this to would be the Boutique series. Maybe the early 2000s Macallan cask strengths? In fact, forget about them. This one’s better.

Rich, velvety fruit notes well emulsified with oloroso nutty notes. I can’t tell which fruit. It’s a blend of tropical fruits and fresh acidic red & black berries. Add some warm velvety nuance. Maybe lychee? I’m also getting raspberries. Add fresh grapes on top. So sleek. So elegant. So complex. This absolutely does revive Macallans from the 70s. Standard oak sourness (picture glue). Geez so much to write from the nose. Diving into palette. Moment of truth.

Dried berries-like fruity notes with very subtle acidity. Chocolate. Probably white due to its creamy texture. Well balanced oiliness, oh it hits the spot. Quite a bit tannin. Somewhere around 85% of current releases of Kavalan Vinho Barrique? Notice the ABV though, I’ll let this slip. Hold on, it’s boozy! Let us notice the ABV once more, we let it slip again. Acceptable bitterness. Ok so it absolutely tastes like Macallan. But modern ones. Let me take back my comments around old Macallans. A superior version of Macallan Boutique series it is. Nice long finish- raisans, subtle hint of coffee.

I give this a solid 89 and would gladly pay $50-60 for a 15ml at a bar.

After a full day of non-stop parenting. This is just too much fun.

Heaven Hill 15y Whisky Age 2025

https://www.whiskybase.com/ko/whiskies/whisky/279151/heaven-hill-15-year-old-twbi

Single barrel bourbon. 62.5% ABV.

Distillery: Heaven Hill
Bottled by: Whisky Age
Selection: Milwaukee’s club and Sekiba bars.

So I got a vial sample from an incredible Japanese whisky fan through a mutual friend. I thought I’d reciprocate by doing a tasting review.

Quite different to typical bourbons we’d imagine. Complex. Balanced in intensity rich in volume. One could say mellow, I’d say nicely carved out.

Lots of scotch-like nuance. Reminds me of Edradour. Similar notes to what we’d get from an overly dark sherry whisky. Very brief presence of rye, so confirms it’s a bourbon indeed.

Vanilla. Salted caramel. Likely ethanol but quite nice and refreshing, like mint. Meaty notes too. Unsmoked ham with lots of umami. No harshness of alcohol. Some buttery notes. Fresh red apples. Nice fruity acidity. Really interesting notes with good level of complexity. Light crispness at the end. Somewhat similar to what you’d taste from sparkling water. Pleasant oakiness, not bitter at all! Transition from rich caramel notes to fruit acidity is rather abrupt, but I doubt you could expect this to be any gradual or integrated.

Not a huge fan of bourbon and I can’t remember I had bourbon as good as this.

Wowsie, I had breakfast and walked the dog planning to open this at the Brazil vs Norway match today but failed at that timeframe by 12h approximately. I will have to come back to what the taste is cause I’m still trying to figure it out. All I can say it is smooth for a 55% and this will go well as a summer whisky. Anyone had this?

Hi all! I'm here today with more Suntory whiskies, this time some Yamazaki!

I'm sure many of my fellow whisky enthusiasts know of the Yamazaki 18 yr, Suntory's renown and very premium regular shelfer single malt. Some frequent (and lucky) international travelers may also know of the Yamazaki 18 yr Limited Edition- Yamazaki 18 yr's fancier and much rarer twin, only rarely available in Japan's international airports or on auctions and secondary markets. 

Here's a little question: aside from the packaging and availability, how exactly are these two bottles different? Time to find out!

Details in comments!

So I'm trying to locate a bottle of Hong Thong. My best mate and I have a bit of a joke about this (kindly) shit bottle of spirit. It would mean a lot of I could get him another bottle but I can't seem to find a UK seller.

Willing to pay more than I should for this. Does anyone have any ideas?

Got my 21yr old and 12yr old today. They sit nicely in my Welsh Whisky collection 🥃🥃🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Hi all, I'm back with another Suntory whisky, and this time it's another Hakushu!

Here's a bottle I've brought up quite a few times in the past, and have actually tasted multiple times as well, but never written a proper review of. I've finally organized my notes, so here it is! 

Details in comments!

I am very curious...

Hi all! Here's another Scotch I got to try a short while ago, and it's another Macallan!

Post got a bit messed up in my previous attempt to post this so I'm posting it again.

This might be one of the more expensive liquids I've tried, and I got to try it without paying (well not in money at least lmao)! A bit of how that happened (feel free to tl:dr)

On one of the weekends a while ago, a VIP (who had previously purchased a Macallan 52 yr there) and his friends came to the whisky store & bar I frequent for a leisurely afternoon drink, and I happened to be at the bar to kill some time. 

Since some of these folks were a bit interested in Japanese whiskies, we struck up a conversation where I gave an impromptu mini seminar & tasting on Yamazaki 12s from different eras with some of my own samples and bottles (amongst other more unique Yamazakis). The guys were quite fascinated by my little talk, and promised that he'll return the favor and pour me a drink some time as well.

It just so happened that the store had prepared a special gift for that VIP- a roughly 1 ounce pour of a newly opened Macallan Distil Your World Paris Edition, to which the guy invited me to join him and his friends in sharing that pour. Each of us ended up with just a small share but hey, I got to try it for (mostly) free lmao.

Macallan Distil Your World Paris Edition (47.2% abv)

a special edition Macallan which used Sherry, Bourbon and Cognac casks in its blend. Here are my impressions:

Nose: Mellow maltose (quite typical of Macallans); polished oak (more furniture-like); a rather complex, caramelized dried fruity profile (both red and white grape raisins); light hint of vanilla; light hint of baking spices (nutmeg)

Palate: Notably of ripe white grapes & white grape raisins (with a profile reminiscent of XO Cognac); sweet azuki bean paste; polished oak (furniture-like, slightly bitter); mellow maltose; hint of baking spices; a bit more notable sour aftertaste. Pretty much no alcohol sting or astringency

Finish: A bit too little tried to be certain, but I remember it being kind of similar to cognacs- caramelized fruits, fruity sourness, a hint of oak, with a hint of baking spices from the palate.

*Conclusion*

The most characteristic part of its tasting experience was how the white grape and white grape raisin fruity characters were interwoven into the typical Macallan maltose and sherry cask characters.

That said, aside from that point, everything else about this Macallan seemed quite... regular. All in all, this one tasted quite like a very finely tuned modern Macallan, with a few gimmicks. In all honesty, I can't really say this one is amongst the top three Macallan whiskies I've tried. But hey, I got to try it and probably made a new drinking buddy! Maybe one day he'll open that Macallan 52 and I'd get to have a sip lmao

Thanks for reading, Cheers!

Hi all! I'm back with more Japanese whiskies, this time a Hakushu! More specifically, it's one of Suntory's special releases in 2021- the Hakushu Spanish Oak!

2021 is quite an odd year for Suntory. The world was a mess from COVID, yet the popularity of Japanese whiskies kept rising. As such, Suntory made quite a good number of new products and special releases for the year, including:

1. the first Hibiki Blossom Harmony (a sakura cask finish Hibiki blend),
2. the Yamazaki Limited Edition 2021 (a virgin mizunara cask focus Yamazaki), 
3. the Essence of Suntory Whisky series 5 Malt Mania (featuring experimental Islay Peated and Golden Promise Yamazakis), and of course, 
4. Two limited edition Hakushus: Hakushu Heavily Peated, and the Hakushu Spanish Oak here!

 

Tasting details in comments!

￡315