Yamazaki, also a distillery that puts out many great bottlings, if you can get them. Since last year they have started to understand that too in Japan, and the standard 18 year old (which is an absolute stunner) has gone up from € 90 to about € 130. We might have to make do with these occasional indie bottlings.

Nose:
Lots of etheric oils, sandalwood and also a heap of Christmas cake. In the background I get dried mint leaves. Like a Japanese temple on Christmas. Very terrific.

Taste:
As with most Japanese cask strength whiskies this one is incredibly hot. It burn on your tongue and at first it is pretty hard to get many flavours out. Eventually you get used to it a bit and it also settles a little. You get a massive flavour bomb then. Very dry, with lots of wood, oily. Almost no fruit at first but it starts opening up after a minute or so. It does have a bit of a carbondioxide effect in your mouth.

Finish:
Sweet coffee at first, then more liqueur with pepper and wood. A pretty long finish with a sticky sweetness of peach syrup.

A terrific dram and very Japanese in style. Or I should say very Yamazaki in style. The oiled sandalwood with fruit in the background is rather typical for their sherry casks and this one fits that description very well. There is a lot to discover here and this definetly is a bottle I’d like to have on my shelf. Bummer it sold three years ago!

Yamazaki 1989-2009, 19 years old, SMWS, ‘I wish it could be Christmas every day’, 62.6%, 2nd fill sherry butt, used to cost about € 86.