Hakushu SMWS 120.7 “Sweet, fragrant and satisfying”

(Thanks again to /u/Scotch_Fanatic for these drams, he fought a bear to obtain these)

Japan, the land of mystical times, love for some, and confusion for all but the those who have truly embraced the dark mysterious gods beyond the pale.

For me I both enjoy Japanese culture and find myself scratching my head about it more often than I’d be confortable to mention. And that’s probably because they’d had to fight off intruders on a regular basis, and may have had some wars affect their culture. A lot.

Japanese whisky is one of the things that is slowly no longer adding to my dandruff problems that I think I get. They want to evoke ideas of different regions, yet still add in their own culture. Which is beautiful in a way.

Hakushu SMWS 120.7 “Sweet, fragrant and satisfying” evokes ideas of a good woman with diabetes who may or may not have had too many desserts and just the right amount of orgasms.

My kinda woman. Let’s see how it tastes.

Price: N/A in Ontario

Region: Japan

Abv: 55.5%

Vintage: 09.1999

Age: 14 years

Cask type: 1st fill Bota Corta Butt

Colour: Stout

Nose: Coffee, raspberry,  blackberry, mint, red licorice, vanilla milkshake, smoke

Wow I miss coffee. I’m such a sucker for the smell of it.

Really nice flavours that mesh together. Just the right amount of sweetness toit. I really like it.

Taste: Pineapple/tamarind, tannin, woody, hot, plum, ginger, raisin

A bit too much wood, however the fruity notes and deep flavours make up for it.

Also it reminds me of some Chinese BBQ sauces that have those acidic notes in them and are smothered all over pork belly.

Great, just gave myself a sympathetic heart attack. Dammit.

Finish: Blackberry, cranberry, anise, BBQ beef, plum, dry, peach skin

Again, really good. Probably the best of the bunch. Big, dry flavours, and more BBQ heart death for TOModera. Good times.

Conclusion: This is a really, really good flavour profile. Chinese BBQ (yes, I know the dram is Japanese and those are two different cultures), tons of fruit, and interesting use of earthy flavours that are properly developed.

Try this dram. It’s my fave of the bunch.

84/100

World Whisky review #84, Japan review #12, Whisky network review #428