Three Yoichi Key Malts

Given the choice of Nikka's two Japanese distilleries, Miyagikyo and Yoichi, I'll always pick the latter. With more than a decade of maturation, Yoichi can hold its own with, or surpass, Scotland's best peated whiskies. Of course, "more than a decade of maturation" is quite the qualifier, presently. The Key Malts I have here today are likely very young, judging by the Miyagikyo set I reviewed on Wednesday. It may not be Waterford-young, rather Kilchoman-young. But of the two sets, this is the one I've been looking forward to.

Sapporo Triplets

Yoichi Woody and Vanillic - 55%abv	Yoichi Sherry and Sweet - 55%abv	Yoichi Peaty and Salty - 55%abv
The nose is woody indeed. With peat thrown in, it registers like mesquite. After 10 minutes the vanilla bursts in, carrying mint and sugar with it. Rosemary, hazelnuts and dried apricots stay in the background.	The nose starts out earthy with a little bit of wood smoke. Vanilla, lemon and caramel sit on top. Nutty sherry on the bottom. It develops a cheesy yeastiness with time.	"Laphroaig Jr." (per my notes) on the nose. Old bandages and antiseptic. Ham, dry peat, citronella candles and eucalyptus.
The palate is REALLY HOT, like 65%abv. Very sweet too. Once the tastebuds recover, they pick up something a lot like Craft bourbon. There's burnt wood, wood smoke, mint and pears. Maybe some kiwis in the distance.	Generic sherry cask notes lead the palate, with black raisins and cherry syrup. The peat barely makes it to the midground. Basic.	The palate shows a good balance of smoke, sweet and bitter. Notes of lime, mint leaf, fresh ginger and cayenne ease in gradually.
It finishes hot and sweet, with mint and lumber.	The finish offers dried cherries and currants. Very little smoke, but plenty of woody bitterness.	Lime, ginger, wood smoke and a touch of herbal bitterness fill the finish.
Diluted to 45%abv: The nose has sugar cookies and pine, with hints of farm and dried herbs. The palate is very bitter and very sweet, with vanilla extract and pineapple. Nothing but bitterness and vanilla in the finish.	Diluted to 45%abv: Sulfur and roses in the nose, followed by vanilla and golden raisins. The palate starts out well with dry oloroso and lemon, but then the black raisins and tannins take over. It finishes with maraschino cherries and woody bitterness.	Diluted to 45%abv: The nose feels gentler and more pulled together. Lots of ocean and dry peat. The palate becomes tarter and more herbal, with kiln smoke filling every corner. It finishes with dry herbs, limes and kiln.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Woody and Vanillic - The whisky fulfills the label's promise. It's also the worst Yoichi I've ever tried. I don't know why they'd punish the lovely spirit so. The nose saves this one from getting a lower score, as is often the case with over-oaked whiskies throughout the world.

Sherry and Sweet - Another bummer, this one somehow underperforms Miyagikyo's Sherry & Sweet, even though the Yoichi has much less sulfur. It'd be forgettable were it not for the constant reminder that this is somehow Yoichi, and not a lazily sherry-finished mass production from Scotland.

Peaty and Salty - Huzzah. One good pour. This Yoichi hits all the right notes, reading like a stronger, better version of their standard NAS release. Yes, it's quite young, but it's mezcal-free, well-balanced and very drinkable even during this humid season.

I'm short on words words words here. Disappointment is what I'm feeling, like that "Really?" reaction I had when tasting an early batch of Suntory's Distiller's Reserve whiskies. Seriously, I just poured Yoichi product down the sink. It's more like "Yoichi loses", rather than "Miyagikyo wins" this week. Back to Scottish stuff next week.

RATINGS:

Yoichi Woody and Vanillic - 74

Yoichi Sherry and Sweet - 78

Yoichi Peaty and Salty - 85

Three Miyagikyo Key Malts

Beatrice rounded up

Belated Happy Father's Day wishes to all the pappies out there. I hope you had plenty of time to drink alone, like I did.

Damn, that came across precisely as dark as I'd intended it.

Anyway, I'm back. The older folks out there might remember that Nikka's Japanese distilleries had a few 12yo versions of their Key Malts in previous decades. I had a chance to try a pair in Shinjuku, seven years ago.

But on this past Father's Day Eve, I did a side-by-side-by-side comparison of the trio of Miyagikyo Key Malts that were released in 2015-2017. All three were NAS (boooo), bottled at 55%abv (yay?). They were named Malty and Soft, Fruity and Rich, and Sherry and Sweet.

Were they any good, and did they do exactly what it says on the tin......?

Sendai Triplets

Miyagikyo Malty and Soft - 55%abv	Miyagikyo Fruity and Rich - 55%abv	Miyagikyo Sherry and Sweet - 55%abv
Yep, malt on the nose. Malt, marshmallows, green apples and VOCs start things off. Complexity builds with time as orange peel, anise, grapefruit juice, caramel chews and a hint of barrel char appear.	The VOC/raw note appears here too, but more forward than in the M&S's nose. It does have fruit though, specifically kiwis, oranges and yellow nectarines. Malt as well. Some banana pudding. Hint of toffee, hint of farm.	Oloroso-style dry nuttiness leads the nose, followed by malt (again), brine, honey butter and the same raw note as the others. It picks up gunpowder and black raisin notes with time.
Wow, the palate is green. Barley, grass, thyme, rosemary and a hint of yeast fill it edge to edge for a while. Notes of ginger and tart kiwis materialize after some time.	The palate reads more floral than fruity, and less graceful than expected. I find unripe peach, mild lemon, toasted rice and a hint of savoriness first. It gets sweeter slowly, picking up perkier citrus and Ito En's Genki sweet tea.	This one has the thickest mouthfeel of the trio. A big A'bunadh-style sherriness leads the palate. Sweet cherries, bitter walnuts, dried currants and salt follow later.
It finishes with grass, ginger, malt and lime.	The finish is both sweet and drying. Tannin, perhaps? It's also sort of dusty, with mild notes of lemon and lychee.	Luxardo cherry syrup, milk chocolate, black raisins and a hint of dates in the finish.
Diluted to 45%abv: Nice nose: malt, apples, roses, oranges and nut bread. The palate and finish get fruitier, with kiwis, limes and lychees, balancing the sweet and tart well.	Diluted to 45%abv: The nose loses its excitement and complexity. It feels blander, though it does hold onto flowers and citrus. The palate is bitterer, rougher. Peppery and acidic. It finishes tangy, tannic and lightly sweet.	Diluted to 45%abv: Honey, raw nuts, dried currants and mild sulfur make up the nose. More sulfur on the palate now, with lots of dried fruit in the background. It finishes with tannins, raisins and sulfur.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Malty and Soft - It was malty, but I'm not sure about soft. None of these three were soft, possibly because they're all very young. But I really liked the greenness of the M&S's palate, as well as the nose's variety. Once dilution brought out the fruits, this one became the easy winner of the bunch. Still, this may not appeal to all palates.

Fruity and Rich - Japanese single malts can be gorgeously rich (and you have to be rich to buy them), but this one ain't rich. And the M&S may actually have been fruitier. But the palate got more interesting once ignored the "fruity" description, and the nose was very engaging. Just please keep it neat.

Sherry and Sweet - I'd read some complaints about the sulfuric nature of this one. When neat, I didn't sense that much of an issue, but at 45%abv there was some serious S. As mentioned in the notes, this Key Malt had a stylistic similarity to some Aberlour A'bunadh batches, though I'm not the biggest fan of that series. Curiously, despite the sulfur, this was the most forgettable of the three Key Malts.

Whew, all these young malts are beginning to get to me. I'm pretty sure M&S and F&R would have improved with 12+ years in casks, though who knows what would have happened to the S&S&S. Were I able to time travel and redirect part of my 2015 trip to Miyagikyo Distillery, I'd be happy to get the Malty and Soft. But I wouldn't change one moment of that voyage, and I don't have a time machine, yet. So it was great to have this opportunity to try these Key Malts.

RATINGS:

Miyagikyo Malty and Soft - 87 

Miyagikyo Fruity and Rich - 83

Miyagikyo Sherry and Sweet - 81

Waterford Bannow Island 1.1 Irish Single Malt

I'm finishing up this Waterford Week with Bannow Island 1.1. Yep, it's 3 years old. Yep, there are a bunch of casks involved. To that point, perhaps drinkers need to be careful before we say, "I can't wait until it's older!" At some moment in time those casks are going to topple the spirit. Excellent blending may be able to fashion something interesting from that mix for a couple years, though one can kiss any "Irish" elements goodbye. After that, it's just another over-oaked thing on the market. A balance will need to be established, and I'm hoping this 3-4 year old range is not the peak.

Anyhoo, Bannow Island appears to be "Bannow Peninsula" on Google Maps because the channel that separated the island from the mainland was silted up in the 14th century, per Wikipedia. Internet research! This release's Overture barley comes from Ed Harpur's farm.

Distillery: Waterford

Owner: Renegade Spirits
Region: Waterford, Ireland

Type: Single Malt

Barley strain: Overture

Age: 3 years old (2016-2020)

Maturation: 35% first-fill Jack Daniels, 20% new American oak, 25% French oak, 20% Oloroso casks
Outturn: 8616 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Of this week's five Waterfords, this one's nose is the closest to the earth. It starts with barley grist, corn meal, baker's yeast, roses and citrons. Subtler notes of chocolate malt and orange blossoms arise after some time. The salty and slightly bitter palate has toasty grains, tobacco and orange blossoms, with a lime juice note appearing later. It finishes with the grains, sunflower butter and grapefruit.

DILUTED to ~43%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whiskey

The nose feels a bit emptied out. Barley, blackberry jam and roses are all that remain. The diluted palate actually reads hotter and rawer than the neat one. Barley and pencil graphite up front, hints of limes and roses in the background. The finish has also faded, with hushed notes of barley and bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

For a few moments this Waterford was my favorite of the bunch, especially on the nose. But it turned brittle in less than 20 minutes, and water seemed to strip it further. Will time help it? And what is that magical peak time? One doesn't want the new oak to overcome the great early nose, nor any aggressive sherry wood to wipe it out entirely.

In two years, these Waterford whiskies will turn eight years old, depending on what remains. If their pretty blue bottles don't have a giggle-inducing price, perhaps I'll give one or two a try. But not before then.

Availability - getting scarce in Europe
Pricing - $60-$120 (w/VAT, w/o shipping)
Rating - 78, but drink it quickly and keep it neat

Waterford Sheestown 1.1 Irish Single Malt

Yesterday's Ballymorgan gave me some hope that I'll find a good Waterford. Sheestown 1.1 now gets a try. Again, I can't get over the casks being used: First-fill JD, new US oak, French oak, and Oloroso. What was that about Irish terroir again?

But farmers are awesome and I'll pretend like "tēireoir" is more than marketing fluff, so I'll give Philip O'Brien of County Kilkenny (beautiful countryside) a shoutout for his Irina barley here.

Distillery: Waterford

Owner: Renegade Spirits
Region: Waterford, Ireland

Type: Single Malt

Barley strain: Irina

Age: 3 years old (2016-2020)

Maturation: 35% first-fill American oak (Jack Daniels and Seagrams), 21% new American oak, 25% French oak, 19% Oloroso casks
Outturn: 9000 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose is quite floral, going from flowers to flower candy after some time. It also has a good dose of dried berries (blueberries and currants?). Bits of ginger candy and barley too. The palate has a bit of iron and ethyl, but it also has a greater measure of apricot and raspberry jam. It's sweet but tart oranges and tart raspberries balance that out. Iron shows up in the finish, but it disappears in later sips. Roses, raspberries and tart citrus remain.

DILUTED to ~43%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whiskey

Flowers and berries up front in the nose, corn syrup and yeast in the back. No sulfur. Lots of floral eau de vie in the palate, a mix of berries as well. It finishes with tangy berries, flowers and ethyl.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Found one! I like a Waterford! 10th try is the charm. This is nearly newmake (or poitín), but it's good. And it's difficult to know what the right age would be for this whiskey. The casks may kill it before its first decade is through, and 3.9 years is too damned young. But maybe five years? Six? Will Reynier allow it? I'd say six years is right about......now.

Availability - still available throughout Europe
Pricing - all over the place
Rating - 80

Waterford Ballymorgan 1.1 Irish Single Malt

The Ballykilcavan (1.1 and 1.2) whiskies followed the narrative I set out in this week's introduction: extremely young whiskies and French casks forced upon Irish terroir. Please let me be proven wrong this week!

This Ballymorgan's barley — Overture strain — comes from Robert Milne's farm in County Wexford. The whisky's cask mix is different than the Ballykilcavans', and the Vin Doux Naturel is actually Oloroso per the official site.

Let's see if they can wrastle some ballyhoo out of baby Ballymorgan.

Distillery: Waterford

Owner: Renegade Spirits
Region: Waterford, Ireland

Type: Single Malt

Barley strain: Overture

Age: 3 years old (2016-2020)

Maturation: 37% first-fill Jack Daniels, 18% new American oak, 27% French oak, 18% Oloroso casks
Outturn: 9000 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

A bit raw, the nose has a combo of barley, peaches and a floral hard cider that works well. Hints of grapefruit and ocean stay in the background. The palate is hot and sweet, with fresh berries, dried currants, flowers and grape jam. Hints of metal and dried leaves offer some angles. That metallic note, specifically iron/blood takes front stage in the finish, with notes of chile oil and grape jam in the back.

DILUTED to ~43%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whiskey

Apples, lots of apples, in the nose, along with orange gummy bears and a whisper of sulfur. More citrus and berries in the palate. It's still raw, but very approachable. The apples return for the finish, with some blackberries and much less iron.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Despite its potentially grim cask combination, Ballymorgan 1.1 is a step ahead of both Ballykilcavans, but the neat finish falls far short of the rest of its parts. The whiskey also takes to water better than the Ballykilcavans, so it's probably a good idea this wasn't released at cask strength. As much as I appreciate the whisky, it still feels very par-baked. If Ballymorgan ever has a 6-8 year old release, that doesn't cost €150+, then I'd consider buying it blindly.

Availability - still available throughout Europe
Pricing - all over the place
Rating - 78

Waterford Ballykilcavan 1.2 Irish Single Malt

In yesterday's Waterford intro, I left out one fun fact about all five of this week's single malts: each uses a single farm's barley. No matter what my feelings are about the final products' immaturity and cask choices, I do adore the single farm idea. The Ballykilcavan barley (Taberna strain) comes from David Walsh-Kemmis's farm in County Laois, a ways west down M7 from Dublin.

Ballykilcavan 1.2 is about 3 months older than the 1.1, taking it into the 4 year old realm except for the fact that the distiller mixed some 1.1 into the 1.2, so it technically has the same age statement.

Waterford Ballykilcavan 1.2

Distillery: Waterford
Owner: Renegade Spirits
Region: Waterford, Ireland

Type: Single Malt

Age: (2016-2020) mostly 4 years with some 3 years mixed in, so 3 years old

Maturation: 55.5% American oak, 22% French oak, 22.5% Vin Doux Naturel casks
Outturn: 9000 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

At first sniff, the nose is perkier than that of the 1.1 with less sulfur and more French sauvignon. Then come the flowers, raspberry jam and grape candy. While a yeast note remains, this reads more like newmake than wort. The palate comes off hotter than the 1.1's. It's full of sweet grapes, tart apples, and sharp peppercorns. There's some savory earthy sulfur, but not much. It gets sweeter with time. Honey, sultanas and tart apples mix with dry Oloroso in the finish.

DILUTED to ~43%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whiskey

The nose reads yeastier and more floral, some sour apple candy in the background, and (ah ha!) the first sighting of actual barley! The sweet and salty palate still has that raw edge, and the sulfur gives off a ureic note. It finishes raw and sweet, with a hint of lemon.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Despite the difference in styles and the extra few months, the 1.2 doesn't top the 1.1. It didn't take to water particularly well, and the palate reads simpler and flatter than the younger sibling's. The 1.2's finish is its strongest point when neat, and the nose works better with less sulfur, but I'm seeing less potential here than I did with the 1.1.

Tomorrow, a different farm in a different county...

Availability - still available throughout Europe
Pricing - all over the place
Rating - 75

Waterford Week begins with Waterford Ballykilcavan 1.1 Irish Single Malt

I love Ireland and I love Irish whiskey, so I'm rooting for one of the scores of new Irish distilleries to legitimately challenge the old guard. Waterford Distillery seemed like it was best dressed for success. Mark Reynier had a dozen years of experience resurrecting Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay. With Waterford his team has put a lot of emphasis on Ireland's terroir (or tēireoir per the website), and the official site is loaded with geeky details about every bottled batch. So I decided to start sourcing Waterford samples.

Then I attended a tasting of six Waterford whiskies. And I enjoyed approximately 0 of them.

Two elements troubled the whiskies. Firstly, they're three-year-old whiskies that tasted like three-year-old whiskies, hot, yeasty, and too unformed to get a sense of the barley. Secondly, not only can Reynier not quit his love of wine + whisk(e)y, but (per his interviews) he's committing to it 100%. I have a difficult time discerning how French wine casks promote Irish terroir, both in theory and the reality of the liquid.

So I stopped amassing Waterford samples with those I'd obtained via bottle splits before that tasting. I'm going to try each of the five this week.

First up:

Waterford Ballykilcavan 1.1

Distillery: Waterford
Owner: Renegade Spirits
Region: Waterford, Ireland

Type: Single Malt

Age: 3 years (2016-2020)
Maturation: 45% American oak, 37% French oak, 18% Vin Doux Naturel casks
Outturn: 8640 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose starts with wort and white grape juice. Then...is that peat? No. No, that's sulfur. With time, smaller notes of grape candy, apple cider and nectarines appear. The palate, more manageable than the nose led on. It's very doughy with an undercurrent of stout. Some hairy sulfur mixes with a moderate honeyed sweetness. The finish has a good length to it, with tart apples, sultanas and yeast. A little bit of element S, as well.

DILUTED to ~43%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whiskey

Less sulfur, more apple and grape juices on the nose. Some florals on top, walnuts underneath. The palate becomes more acidic, less sweet. Some lemons, salt and sultanas. Kinda flat overall. It finishes with salt, honey and vague citrus.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Sadly, this fits right into my struggles with the 6 others I'd tried a year and a half ago. Many distilleries produce gin and vodka to scare up revenue while their whiskies age. Others release barely legal whisk(e)y. Waterford has chosen to do the latter. All the pretty packaging and nerd-heaven website data can't make up for this really young product that has the same theme of the world's capital "C" Craft whiskey: immature spirit and aggressive cask influence. All the grapes, sultanas and S point to the Vin Doux Naturel vessels, and perhaps those French oak casks as well. The sulfur-sensitive population may want to stay away, as there's enough S to trigger a feces-filled fedora.

At least with Bruichladdich's early Local Barley products, the distillery waited 6-8 years, and though the spirit was upfront and young, it wasn't raw. Tomorrow I'll review the 4 year old Ballykilcavan 1.2.

Availability - close to selling through in Europe and USA
Pricing - all over the place
Rating - 76