Things I Really Drink: Ichiro's Malt & Grain, Classical Edition

During my Japan 2023 trip, I discovered that the standard Ichiro's Malt & Grain Blended World Whisky works very well in a highball. But similar to Yoichi NAS single malt, Ichiro's Malt & Grain sells for a wild premium in the US. Back then the American price was 3x that of Japan's; as per Wine-searcher's averages that multiplier has become 3.7x ($100+) today.

For reasons that escape me, I did choose to go halfsies on a bottle of Ichiro's Malt & Grain Blended World Whisky Classical Edition. I've been unable to find any details about how the "Classical Edition" differs from the standard one, other than a higher ABV (48% versus 46.5%) and higher price. It's very tempting to call this Ichiro's Mystery Meat.

Ownership: Venture Whisky Ltd.

Brand: Ichiro's Malt & Grain

Type: Blended Whisky

Region: Japan, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and USA?

Age: ???

Maturation: ???

Alcohol by Volume: 48%

Chillfitered? No

e150? No

HIGHBALLS

After trying six different highballs, I think I've found the right formula. 3:1 and 4:1 (bubbles to whisky) come out much too watery and bland, especially with small ice cubes. (Side note: I've never had that issue with any Hibiki products.) The key is to apply 2 parts club soda (or the best mineral water you can find) to 1 part Classical Edition over one large ice cube. The flavor stays strong and moderately sweet with hints of wine casks.

NEAT

The nose begins with a mix of vanilla, butter, sugar, and cinnamon, almost like a cookie dough. That's followed by banana candy, split lumber, and a hint of ocean. After a while it takes on a note that I can only define as an emptied pinot noir glass at the end of the night now being filled with warm Dr. Pepper. And I don't hate it.

Though black cherry and strawberry candies lead the palate, it's never too sweet. It also reads much lighter than 48%abv. The midground holds a jumble of sour red grapes, woody bitterness, cassia bark, and Robitussin.

It finishes with black cherry syrup, vanilla, black peppercorns, ginger candy, and a bit of acidity.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Though Akuta-san has a history of making terrific whisky, this "World Blend" smells and tastes like a mad mix of random bottles from one's shelf. There's no cohesion, especially since it seems like there were various casks types, in addition to the blend of malt and grain whiskies from (possibly) five different countries. How does one even attempt to marry all those elements together?

As noted earlier, one can devise a quality highball ratio/formula from the Classical Edition, but the same can be said for Johnnie Walker Black Label and Chivas 12yo. So I'm not sure what makes this whisky "classical", nor why its price is so high. It's not a bad whisky, but I'm getting tired of it and I'm only a little more than halfway done with my half bottle. Maybe I'll just stick to Venture's Chichibus from now on.

Availability - Scattered around the world
Pricing - All over the map (LOL), $100-$350 outside of Japan, $50-$80 in 🇯🇵
Rating - 79

Yoichi NAS (2022, Japan) versus Yoichi 10 year old (2023, USA)

It's a Taste Off between two Things I Really Drink! Of course I never took pictures of my actual bottles and I'm down to the 2oz samples I saved, so I'll need to use some other visuals.

I purchased my bottle of Yoichi NAS during my March-April Japan 2023 trip, for grand total of $27. The same whisky costs, on average, $97 in the US. Yes, this is why some of us return from Japan with a new piece of luggage filled with bottles wrapped in dirty laundry.

In lieu of a bottle pic, here's an Itsukushima ice cream shop sign, located in the touristy part of the island:

Theoretically those are raisins, but I'd already stuffed myself silly with fresh baked momiji manju, so I didn't stick around to find out.

I opened the Yoichi NAS bottle at the end of 2023, just in time for the next whisky.

After eight long years of waiting, the Yoichi 10 year old returned in 2023! And it was expensive. As soon as some 750mLs were exported to The States, the Doctors Springbank scooped up two bottles. I went in halfsies on one of the bottles.

Just after New Year's 2024, we sat down and tried the NAS and 10yo side-by-side. I took no notes, but I remember that the 10 required a lot of air to open up. Now, 14 months later, I'm sitting down in my whisky chair to compare them again, but with notes this time.

THE YOICHI YOUTHS

Yoichi NAS (2022, Japan) 45%abv	Yoichi 10 year old (2023, USA) 45%abv
Very young lightly peated spirit greets the nose. Pears, apples, orange peels, and talcum powder up front. Wood smoke and seaweed in the back.	Peated steak chili. Yes, that's the first nose note. Think beef and chili powder. A hint of seaweed too. Plums and almond extract appear around the 30-minute mark. At 45 minutes? Yeast and sweat.
The peat rumbles louder in the palate, joining apples, pears, mint, and a peppery heat. Its sweetness starts off mildly, but expands with time, becoming very sugary by the 45-minute mark.	Soft, familiar Yoichi peat balances well with tart stone fruits and citrus in the palate. The sweetness remains subtle throughout. Notes of almonds, almond extract, and tobacco highlight the background.
It finishes tangy and peppery with more heat and less peat than expected. The sweetness is never shy here.	It finishes with nectarines, cigarettes, seaweed, and simple syrup.
Comments: This NAS expression reads sweeter and younger than the old version, which needed water to reveal its sugars. Luckily, baby Yoichi spirit is quite good. Yet, from the top of the bottle to the bottom, this single malt showed very little complexity. It did work decently in a highball, though.	Comments: This was the older sibling, indeed. It was much more interesting, and less clean, than the NAS. Nikka's whiskies tend to be mild mannered, but this one showed hints of crazy. Which I like, a lot. I wouldn't be shocked if some sherry casks were included, and possibly a mix of peated and non-peated spirits.
Rating: 82	Rating: 87

WORDS WORDS WORDS

The NAS cost less than $0.04/mL. The 10yo, $0.21/mL. Though the 10 is the superior whisky, the premium one pays doesn't seem reasonable. That opinion doesn't seem to be shared by many. Because the new 10's first release sold out nearly instantly in Japan and the US, I don't foresee a price drop for subsequent batches. If price isn't an obstacle for you, then go for it! And share it. It's very good stuff. Meanwhile, if you're in The States, Nikka's From the Barrel blend offers more flavor and flexibility than Yoichi NAS single malt, and at a lower price.

Things I Really Drink: Yamazaki Peated Malt Spanish Oak (2024)

Last year Suntory released a pair of single malts within their Kogei Collection range: Yamazaki Peated Malt Spanish Oak and Hakushu Peated Malt Spanish Oak. "Kogei" is Japanese for "traditional artisan crafts", and this whisky duo was called the Japanese Kimono Edition. The Kimono part refers to the packaging, as the bottles and labels have graceful swooping designs fashioned by Kyoto's Chiso Kimono House. The whisky though, is still whisky.

The Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries produce several malt spirit styles for Suntory's blends (e.g. Hibiki and Kakubin). So, though Yamazaki's single malt is unpeated, the distillery does make peated spirit, and vice versa at Hakushu. So these Kogei Collection releases are a fun switcheroo.

Somehow Doctors Springbank and I found Yamazaki Peated Malt Spanish Oak selling for a fraction of its current going price. We probably could have purchased more than one bottle, but my experience with other Suntory NASes isn't fabulous. So we went halfsies. That I'm nearly done with my 350mL may offer a hint as to my opinion about this whisky.

Distillery: Yamazaki
Ownership: Beam Suntory
Region: Oyamazaki, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Range: The Kogei Collection
Age: ???

Maturation: Spanish oak sherry casks
Release year: 2024

Alcohol by Volume: 43%
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? No

NOTES

The (lovely) casks offer an excellent balance of dried fruit and raw nuts in the nose. Perhaps Oloroso + PX? The peat reads coastal, not Islay-style, nor Skye-ish, but something softer. Tar, sesame seeds, Play Doh, cherry candy, and amaretto merge in the mid- and background. After 30+ minutes, fig notes open in the foreground, while anise arrives in the back.

I believe the Scots would refer to this as hella moreish. The oily-textured palate brings an impressive bounty of fresh fruits, as opposed to dried ones, with loads of blood oranges and Rainier cherries up front. Delicate peat meets Meyer lemons, chile oil mixes with sandalwood.

This is one of the longest finishes I've experienced in a contemporary 43%abv whisky. Dried cranberries, sweeter lemons, Thai chiles, and wood smoke linger and linger and linger.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I did the unthinkable by pouring some Yamazaki 12 because this Peated/Sherried thing was way too good. They were tried, side-by-side, and the Peated Malt Spanish Oak won.

The sherry cask management at Yamazaki continues to be remarkable. Could it be the climate? Or seasoning sherry? Or focused quality control? Or all the above? I don't know, but Yamazaki Peated Malt Spanish Oak is so much better than I expected it to be, and almost better than it needed to be, with its SRP below $200 at the start.

I know I just gave another TIRD a 90-point score, and while this Yamazaki doesn't have that Tamdhu's complexity, the drinkability, stellar craft, and sheer joy it brings pushes this NAS to that level. It's been such a long time since I've had a TIRD that was so much fun to drink.

Availability - Secondary market, and primary market at secondary prices
Pricing - Terrifying
Rating - 90

Ardbeg Eureka Committee Release

After having used plenty of virtual ink detailing how Ardbeg's Special Releases aren't particularly special, I decided to avoid reviewing these releases entirely after Blaaaaack. But five years later, an opportunity has arisen, unique enough for me to return to the world of Ardbeg's annual limited releases.

In 2023, 100 Ardbeg Committee members were selected to blindly taste several Ardbeg samples and provide tasting notes. Using these "Operation Smokescreen" replies and preferences, Dr. Bill Lumsden and master blender Gillian Macdonald crafted Eureka. I was not among the 100 tasters, but one of the Doctors Springbank was. As she (yes, she) told me about that taste-off back in 2023, beneath my curmudgeonly exterior a jealous heart beat. Then (fast-forwarding to late 2024) she received an extra sample of Eureka and gave it to me. Now that Eureka's secrets are out, I am going to taste the stuff.

Distillery: Ardbeg
Ownership: Glenmorangie Plc (owned by LVMH)
Region: Islay
Product: Eureka!
Age: NAS
Maturation and Malt: A mix of two elements. First, regular Ardbeg spirit aged in PX casks. Second, roasted malt Ardbeg spirit aged in bourbon casks.
Outturn: ?????
Bottling year: 2025
Alcohol by Volume: 52.2%
(thank you, Doctors Springbank!)

NEAT

The nose starts off young, in a good way, with barley eu-de-vie, yeast, and wet dog. Then the Ardbeg soot arrives, milking with milk chocolate, roses, and 1980s Old Spice aftershave. Two sides of the unique palate merge and separate and merge again. Side one is full of roasted things, like almonds, hazelnuts, chestnuts, and corn. Side two is...well...Westland Distillery's five malt mix, intensely malty with milk chocolate and french vanilla highlights. It finishes with the roasted nuts, soot, salt, and cashews.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose takes on more of a oceanic peaty style, full of seaweed and brine. Apple peels, roses, and milk chocolate await in the middle, and sweaty socks sneak into the background. Much changed and calmer, the palate offers peppery heat, cashew butter, milk chocolate, and good bitterness. It's less peaty as well. The finish mirrors the palate, with a little more malt.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

What an odd whisky, and I'm not sure if its two elements ever fully come together, but I like it. It's unlike any Ardbeg I've tried, so the Eureka successfully separates itself from the standard range. The Westland note had me doing a triple take. Perhaps that character comes from the roasted malt? The palate's nuttiness and the nose's youth boost it further. I'm not sure I could make it through a whole bottle of this, but I'd happily drink it again.

Availability - It rolled out two weeks ago. Unsure how quickly it's sold.
Pricing - ???
Rating - 85 (my 3rd highest score for an Ardbeg annual release)

Martin's Blended Scotch: Five whiskies bottled between 1945 and 1977

Photo by Mr. PT

James Martin, boxer and whisky merchant, created his own blended whiskies and exported them beyond Scotland in the late 1800s. Macdonald & Muir Ltd bought his brands in 1912, and started delivering Martin's VVO to the US the following year. Macdonald & Muir then scooped up Glenmorangie Distillery a few years later, so they had their own malt source for their blends. In 1996 the company changed its name to Glenmorangie PLC, and was then sold to LVMH eight years later.

(A fun bit of whisky trivia: Alexander Mackendrick's 1949 film, Whisky Galore, was based on an actual whisky-bearing cargo ship crash. In 1941, the SS Politician smacked into the Hebridean Isle of Eriskay, releasing 22,000 cases of scotch, including 10,000 cases of Martin's. Locals relieved the wreck of its whisky for quite some time, until customs agents broke up the fun.)

The Martin's expressions included the VVO 8-year-old, De Luxe 12-year-old, and Fine and Rare 20-year-old, as well as the occasional 25yo and 30yo. Most of these whiskies did not survive into the late 20th century, and the entire range ended once LVMH took over in 2004.

I'm a dusty blend guy, but I haven't seen many Martin'ses in the primary or secondary wild, so when the generous Mr. PT announced he was splitting up FIVE of his bottles I was quickly on board. Fifteen months later, I'm sitting down with this quintet:

• Martin's Gold Bar VVO, NAS (likely ~8 years old), S111 tax stamp, bottled 1945-1960, 43.4%abv
• Martin's 8 year old VVO, S112 tax stamp, bottled 1961-1977, 43.4%abv
• Martin's 12 year old DeLuxe, S111 tax stamp, bottled 1953-1960, 43.4%abv
• Martin's 12 year old DeLuxe, S112 tax stamp, bottled 1961-1977, 43.4%abv
• Martin's 20 year old Fine & Rare, S111 tax stamp, bottled 1953-1960, 43.4%abv

The 12yo and 20yo didn't make it to the US until 1953, but both likely (or in the 20's case, definitely) contain pre-WWII distillate. The dustier VVO might have a good deal of that element as well. But no matter what, olden blends are the source of my geekiest excitement, so this is thrilling! And all hail the 43.4%abv (76 UK Proof) strength!

(Sources: here, here, and here)

Here they are, broken up by expression, along with a new(!) type of grade...

V.V.O.

Martin's Gold Bar VVO, NAS (likely ~8yo) S111 tax stamp, bottled 1945-1960 43.4%abv	Martin's VVO 8yo S112 tax stamp, bottled 1961-1977 43.4%abv
The nose is LOUD, full of stewed fruits, dried orange slices, cinnamon, and lemon candy. Meaty and dunnage notes give it some more angles.	It's an OBE bomb on the nose. Very dusty, metallic, and soapy. It gets soapier with time, but beneath that noise are mild touches of dried apple slices, dried mango, and cloves.
The palate arrives bitterer and smokier than expected. It's intensely ashy, tart (citrus), and metallic, getting smokier with time.	Though also very dusty, the palate is more approachable with considerably less soap. Tangy oranges, simple syrup, cologne, and glass. Yes, it's like licking glass.
It finishes with super tart citrus and ash, with a hint of sweetness, and very good length.	The finish reveals layers of peppercorns, tart oranges, and talcum powder.
Comments: Despite being in the bottle of 65-80 years, this whisky hasn't lost a microgram of oomph. This was by far the smokiest of the five, and one of the most vivid in style. It's a muscular youngster after all this time.	Comments: This one spent less time cooped up in the bottle, but the OBE nearly kills it. There are fruity, floral, peppery aspects locked up in the background. Thankfully, they sneak forward when one fashions a highball.
Old Bottle Effect: 3 out of 10 gray hairs	Old Bottle Effect: 8 out of 10 gray hairs
Rating: 84	Rating: 78

DE LUXE

Martin's DeLuxe 12 year old S111 tax stamp, bottled 1953-1960 43.4%abv	Martin's DeLuxe 12 year old S112 tax stamp, bottled 1961-1977 43.4%abv
Pineapple, crystalized ginger, apple sauce, and Mr. Sketch light blue marker lead the nose, with ocean hints in the background. While it does take on a little bit of soap with time, the fruits stay on top.	The nose feels a bit faded, as it starts out with quiet notes of dust and antique glass. But it picks up steam within 30 minutes, as golden raisins, dried cranberries, cherry pie filling, honey buns, and plum sauce appear.
The palate balances tart, sweet, and floral perfectly. It's also very malty. Limes, oranges, and citrus blossoms lead the way. Very-little-to-no smoke here.	The surprisingly bitter palate shows no signs of decrepitude. In fact, it reads rather modern, with its vanilla, drying tannins, and agave nectar. Lemons and chile oil give it a slight boost.
The finish is saltier and warmer than the palate, with lots of oranges and a hint of burlap.	It finishes more tannic and sweeter, with an mix of chile oil and talcum power (again).
Comments: My second favorite of the group, this whisky offers a style that some Speyside distilleries would probably love to mimic. Yes, this blend reads more like a single malt than some contemporary single malts. I would absolutely buy a bottle of this were it made today.	Comments: The nose, once it wakes up is the best element by far. Had the palate matched it, I'd be raving about the whisky like the older De Luxe. Instead it's a bit odd, both old and new fashioned at the same time. I wonder if the two S112 bottlings were stored differently than the S111s.
Old Bottle Effect: 4 out of 10 gray hairs	Old Bottle Effect: 5 out of 10 gray hairs
Rating: 87	Rating: 81

Fine & Rare

Martin's Fine & Rare 20 year old S111 tax stamp, bottled 1953-1960 43.4%abv
Ohhhh, the nose: White nectarines, apricots, incense, plum sauce, black walnuts, hint of mesquite, hint of fish market, and a lot of molasses.
Here comes another list for the palate: Lychees, guavas, peaches, fresh ginger, sea salt, wood smoke, umami, and a lovely tartness.
The peaches dominate the finish, with lychees and lemons in the middle, salt and umami in the background.
Comments: An absolute fucking home run.
Old Bottle Effect: 3 out of 10 gray hairs
Rating: 91

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Yes, the 20 year old earned its own table. Was its 65-70 glass years responsible for this? I have no idea. I'm so distracted by the 20's quality that I'm having trouble focusing on the bigger picture. Here, I'll start a new paragraph.

The S111 tax stamp Martin'ses dominate the S112s, though I'm not sure if that's due to where the bottles lived for 2-3 generations, or simply the blends' original quality. Four out of five of the noses were great-to-excellent, so the palates marked the whiskies' differences. The S111 12yo and 20yo palates were gloriously fruity, while the S111 VVO delivered an Islay-style peaty punch. The S112 palates freshened up when applied to highballs, but felt quite off when neat. The company did start selling Glenmorangie as a single malt in 1959, so perhaps fewer of the better and older casks were available to the Martin's blenders after that. Or perhaps OBE is the culprit.

No matter what, I'm sending virtual hugs and kisses to the people who protected the 20yo Fine & Rare bottle for 65+ years!

Things I Really Drink: Ardmore 13 year old 2009 Old Particular, cask DL16594 for K&L Wine Merchants

A sinus infection kept me out of the whisky appreciation business for two weeks. And now back to our story...

It's no secret the K&L crew enjoy extolling their single cask picks, so when DOG — David O-G — shifted gears, describing an unexpected cask pick as weird (4 times), I took notice. I perked up further because that cask was a refill barrel Ardmore.

I opened my bottle about a month ago, when it was a big hit with friends, and have spent considerable time sorting out its contents. It is indeed not the average Ardmore, nor of a particularly familiar peated style, which has made these studies interesting.

Distillery: Ardmore

Ownership: Beam Suntory

Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Douglas Laing

Range: Old Particular

Age: 13 years old (July 2009 - September 2022)

Maturation: Refill Barrel

Cask #: DL16594

Outturn: 257 bottles

Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants

Alcohol by Volume: 56.1%
(from the top half of my bottle)

NEAT

Coal + a dash of dunnage + Old Bottle Effect glass & metals = the nose of an old blend, not a teenage modern Ardmore. The smell of metallic rowboats in summer mixes with mild peat smoke in the background. The dense palate blends grapefruit juice, clover honey, and lightly sooty smoke. With time it gets smokier and more bitter citrus rinds arrive. The finish is full of wood smoke, bitter citrus, and a minty hint.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Things get crazy here. The nose goes from star anise to straight-up absinthe. It's chalky and briny, with more on sawdust than smoke. Seaweed creeps in after 15 mins. The palate? Peanut butter and dark chocolate. Sooty smoke and salted lemons. Honey and a hint of Thai chiles. It finishes with honey, peanut butter, and yuzu. The smoke gradually turns woodier.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I don't know what happened to this barrel, but I'm happy with the result. Its volume dropped only 10% in 13 years, but when I do the math I find the alcohol volume dipped 17%, while the non-alcohol volume actually went up 8%. This is assuming the bottling strength was Ardmore-standard 63.5%abv. Perhaps I shouldn't assume. Perhaps none of this matters because the whisky works. For this palate.

The whisky itself hasn't become burdensome to drink as I approach the bottle's mindpoint, which is its own small miracle as my Whisky Attention Deficit Disorder usually kicks in before then. Its lasting pleasure is due to its unique nature. It's a strange whisky for a strange winter.

Availability - Available as of the date of this post
Pricing - $59.99
Rating - 88

Ardmore 9 year old 2010 Duncan Taylor, cask 19803198

This is one of the rare single cask Ardmores to be released in the US. I never saw it arrive on shelves, I never saw it depart. I'm not sure how a nine-year-old sherry-free Ardmore sold out in these states, but congrats to everyone who beat me to it! The whisky looks quite pale, much like the 2009 I just reviewed. May it greet my palate with more grace.

Distillery: Ardmore

Ownership: Beam Suntory

Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Duncan Taylor

Range: Dimensions

Age: 9 years old (June 2010 - July 2019)

Maturation: refill American oak?

Cask #: 19803198

Outturn: 234 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 53.0%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The young and but approachable nose offers up fabric, ocean, kiln, light blue Mr. Sketch marker, and a whiff of wet dog. It picks up a little bit of stone fruit with time, before it all fades out at the 30-minute mark. The palate arrives simple and honed, with minerals, peat, a squeeze of lime, and a hint of metal. It finishes with metal, stones, and peat.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or < 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The ocean note expands through the nose, while the peaty side turns lighter and brighter. Tart cherries, cherry-flavored medicine, salt, pepper, and mild peat form the palate. It finishes with peat, salt, and pepper.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

A straightforward whisky, neither austere nor zany, this Ardmore feels like it's from a bygone era, all of two decades ago. Could Duncan Taylor have let it age longer? Sure, but the spirit would have likely begun to retreat as the oak advanced. I like the nose better once the whisky is diluted, but prefer the palate neat, while having no gripes about any part of it. It's a simple thing, unlike the final Ardmore in this series...

Availability - Sold out

Pricing - ??
Rating - 83