Assessing 5 Current Whiskies from Nikka and Suntory

Aside from some of the work done at Shinshu Mars and Chichibu (and Nikka from the Barrel!) the Japanese whisky industry remains the politest shitshow in the whisky world.

No, I'm not going to back up Serge's recent complaints about the mixing of Scotch and Japanese whiskies. I have no problem with this practice—unless the products are labelled "Japanese whisky"—though it would be appropriate for the producers to disclose when this was happening. The foulness of this method falls far short of actions regularly practiced by the American and Scotch whisky industries.

Instead, my ire continues to be focused on the two major players in the Japanese whisky industry, Nikka and Suntory, emptying their warehouses when the rush came, not managing the outgoing assets and having no thoughtful plans on what to do next. Their strategy has since been revealed as: release inferior young whisky mishmashes at a higher price point than the beloved age-stated stuff, and market the hell out of it. Just like the scotch industry. But with a 0% success rate and without any age-statements in the portfolio.

In 2013 and 2014, I was happy to call Japanese whisky my favorite whisky in the world. At this point, the whiskies by the two majors don't match up to most of the results by the Scotch, American, Canadian, English, Irish, Indian, Swedish, Dutch, French, Belgian, South African and Taiwanese industries.

Hell, my naïve 2-liter barrel cockups are better. And yours are too.

No, I'm not bitter. You're bitter.

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Our Columbus Scotch Night crew did a Japanese whisky tasting this past Monday, and it inspired me to compare and contrast a handful of the majors' current whiskies to see what's worth drinking, and if my above grievance still holds true. Here are the suspects:

Nikka Coffey Grain, 45%abv - This corn-based single grain has been on the market, along with a Coffey Malt, for a few years. I tried it once at a tasting and found it to be a so-so bourbon imitation. For those wondering why I keep misspelling coffee, it's because "Coffey" is the type of continuous still used to distill this whisky's spirit.
Available worldwide, priced $55-$70

The Nikka 12 year old blended whisky (2016), 43% - Released to celebrate Nikka's 80th anniversary in 2014, this blend came on the scene relatively quietly considering it has an age statement. I almost bought a bottle of it blindly when I was in Japan since it was 60% cheaper there than in Europe.
Available in Europe and Japan, priced $45-$55 (Japan), $100-$130 (Europe)

Hibiki Japanese Harmony Master's Select blended whisky, 43% - Please note, this is not the widely available Japanese Harmony. The Master's Select edition hit the Travel Retail shelves in 2015, functioning as a premium version of the Harmony, or at least a more expensive version. According to the Internets, this is a mix of 10 different whiskies from five different kinds of casks. Take that as you'd like.
Available in Europe, Asia and Travel Retail, priced $70-$130.

Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve, 43% - This is the NAS that has replaced the 12yo. I've had it twice before and have nothing nice to say about those experiences. Like the above Hibiki, this is another mashup whisky. It has American oak, Mizunara, sherry casks AND French oak ex-Bourdeaux casks. I've seen a wide range of age claims about the whiskies inside, from three years to 20 years. May we all assume there's a pittance of 20 year old and Mizunara whisky in this? Yes, we may.
Available in Europe and Japan, priced $40-$60 (Japan), $60-$100 (Europe)

Hakushu Distiller's Reserve, 43% - During my visit to Yamazaki distillery in 2015, the tour group received pours of Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve and Hakushu Distiller's Reserve. No one, and I mean no one, finished either pour. I found the Yamazaki to be flat and hot, and the Hakushu was somehow worse. Later in the trip, I tried them side by side at a bar and had the same sensory experience. I have my expectations for this Hakushu set the lowest of these five whiskies.
Available in Europe, priced $60-$100

THE NOSES

Whisky	Notes
Nikka Coffey Grain	Starts off like a floral cheap bourbon. Cardboard, vodka, paint, vanilla and caramel. It picks up a hint of barbecue sauce, then a whole lot of vanilla after some time in the glass.
The Nikka 12 year old blended whisky	Fruity! Cantaloupe, honeydew and plums. Some caramel sauce too. It shifts gears with some air, picking up barley and earth notes. Horse stall. Vanilla bean.
Hibiki Japanese Harmony Master's Select blended whisky	Lots of apples. Then cinnamon and pears. Rice pudding. Hints of smoke and barley. Taffy, pound cake and some raisins.
Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve single malt	Flat. Yeast, brown rice and carob. Bubblegum and Elmer's glue (a duo indeed). Picks up more grains, flowers and vanilla with time in the glass.
Hakushu Distiller's Reserve single malt	Fresh pears, cinnamon and hint of wood smoke. Toasted grains, plums, cherries and ocean air.

THE PALATES

Whisky	Notes
Nikka Coffey Grain	Flat hot bourbon. Vanilla, barrel char, black pepper and paint. Then salty pork. More and more vanilla with time. Almost all cask.
The Nikka 12 year old blended whisky	Earthy and herbal, with no sweetness at first. Then it sweetens slightly. Light bitterness and acidity. Hint of hard toffee. With time, the earthy note gets almost Ledaig-ish. A hint of sherry cask.
Hibiki Japanese Harmony Master's Select blended whisky	Hotter than expected. Very sweet. Vanilla and caramel. And that's it at first. But it softens up with some air. Tart apples, grains, toasted oak, nutmeg and almonds.
Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve single malt	Ooh. Better than the nose. Confectioner's sugar and marshmallows. Very malty and toasty. Limes, pecans and toasted coconut.
Hakushu Distiller's Reserve single malt	Light smoke. Low on oak aside from a vanilla hint. Ashy in the back. Marshmallows, apricots and ginger. Has a mineral edge to it too.

THE FINISHES

Whisky	Notes
Nikka Coffey Grain	Salt, bitter oak, vinegar, vanilla, barrel char and tangy acidic lemon candy.
The Nikka 12 year old blended whisky	Light bitterness, low on sweetness. Some salt, barley, hint of smoke. Vanilla and lemon cake.
Hibiki Japanese Harmony Master's Select blended whisky	Not much. Grains, vanilla, wood smoke, salt and toasted nuts.
Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve single malt	Limes, marshmallows, vanilla and toasted coconut. A little sweet and acidic.
Hakushu Distiller's Reserve single malt	Smoke and barley. Tingly but not sweet. Mineral and lean.

COMMENTARY AND RATINGS

Whisky	Notes	Rating
Nikka Coffey Grain	This is one step away from being a total embarrassment for one of the world's best whisky producers. Or formerly one of the best. I'd bet Evan Williams Green Label would knock this over in a blind test, at 1/6th the price.	71
The Nikka 12 year old blended whisky	Perhaps Nikka is best at blended whiskies. This beats the new NAS Yoichi, Miyagikyo and Taketsuru. It's complex and spirit forward. Only at the finish does it start to falter. Though it's well ahead of the other four whiskies here, it would be a hell of a thing at 46%abv. Is it worth $100? No. But at $45 in Japan, it's a decent deal.	84
Hibiki Japanese Harmony Master's Select blended whisky	The nose is very good and is the only aspect that can compete with the late Hibiki 12yo. The palate starts to fizzle and the finish plotzes. Could have used more whisky and less water. Not bad overall, but it doesn't inspire me to try their regular Harmony.	78
Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve single malt	A rare example of a palate that far surpasses the nose. It smells like immature (redundant?) American craft whiskey. It tastes decent, but falls so very short of the great Yamazaki single malts available only yesterday.	77
Hakushu Distiller's Reserve single malt	MUCH better than the version I'd tasted in Japan two years ago, and could serve as a gentle lightly smoky daily drinker. But while Hakushu 12yo is often available for a lower price, I don't see why anyone should chase this.	80

FINAL THOUGHTS:
This wasn't the disaster I was anticipating. The Nikka 12 is legit. And thank goodness Hakushu wasn't gross. Other than the grain whisky (which I may have graded too highly), I would try any of these again. But, aside from The Nikka 12, these are all just so-so. And that's more than just one step backwards for these companies. We may need to wait another decade to find out if Suntory and Nikka are motivated to get back to the high quality of their premium whiskies, or if they're satisfied with cranking out cheap blends for the masses indefinitely. The people making the whisky take pride in the whisky, but will the ownership ever follow suit?

Single Malt Revision: Eating crow and drinking The Hakushu 12 year old

Happy 2013 to all!  I hope everyone had a pleasant extended well-earned break from the normal work week.  I am starting this year with a complete recant of a report from last year.

Last April, I panned The Hakushu 12 year old.  The whisky I'd sampled was shockingly ugly, full of notes of cheesy-beefy-flatulence and a kitchen gas leak.  I say "shockingly" because The Hakushu 12 had received raves from a number of folks I respect.  In fact the word on the whisky street was so positive that I going to buy a whole bottle of it blindly; I even price-shopped it for two months.  But the Master of Malt sample of Hakushu that I tried convinced me of the opposite, the whisky was disappointing.

But, as I ended my report, I wrote:  "I wouldn't mind giving it another spin someday......just in case."

In the late fall, I tried it again at a OC Scotch Club event.  And it was......really good.  This round of whisky came not from a sample bottle but directly from a newly opened 750mL.  President Bob of the OC Scotch Club awesomely allowed me to steal away with a 1 ounce sample of my own.

On New Year's Eve, the sampled was consumed.

Distillery: Hakushu
Producer: Suntory Whisky
Age: 12 years
Maturation: mainly Bourbon Hogsheads
Country: Japan
Alcohol by Volume: 43%

NEAT --
The color is a bright light gold.  The nose leads with doused kindling, soil, dried apricots, and light sweet wine.  There's a cleaning solvent note in there, but in a good way!  After a few minutes, a subtle green leafy note arises, possibly spinach.  The palate is a peated confection: vanillins, brown sugar, and sweet cherries.  It's very creamy, vanilla ice creamy in fact.  There are some ashes and a touch of salt.  It finishes first sweet, then peat.  Peat ashes again.  Sugared fruit, a little salt.  It's extensive and warm considering its low-ish ABV.

WITH WATER --
The nose loses its prettiness, gaining weight and malt spirit.  Some cocoa, tree bark, and vegetal peat too.  Some of the infamous gassy edge starts to peek through.  The palate becomes simpler.  Vanilla, malt, mild peat, notebook paper, and fruit cocktail juice.  It finishes briefly, with that fruit cocktail juice character, a little peat and vanilla following.

I recommend this neat.  Period.  Keep the water out, please.

This is the quality I had hoped for, originally.  The odd sample probably kept me from buying a bottle.  The Hakushu has gotten much more difficult to find since then.  My scathing review likely resulted in a worldwide recall by Suntory.  ;-)

Anyway, Hakushu, my apologies.  I was led astray.  Thou art good.

May this new year bring many more happy discoveries, especially in places we'd never expect to find them.

Availability - Some liquor specialists

Pricing - $50-$60

Rating - 86

Single Malt Report: The Hakushu 12 year old Japanese Single Malt

(Please see a more positive recent review HERE!)

Distillery: Hakushu
Producer: Suntory Whisky
Age: 12 years
Maturation: mainly Bourbon Hogsheads
Country: Japan
Alcohol by Volume: 43.5%

The next stop on our Whisky World Tour is Japan.  Five months ago, I posted a report on The Yamazaki 12 year, which I recommend -- both the whisky and the report.  :)   Like Yamazaki, Hakushu is a Suntory distillery.

From their official website:

Half a century after the Yamazaki distillery was founded, Keizo Saji inherited his father's vision, and in his quest for innovation, constructed Suntory's second distillery in 1973.

Built amidst the deepest forests of Mt. Kaikomagatake in the Japanese Southern Alps, the Hakushu distillery is without question one of the highest in the world. The majestic forest that surrounds the distillery shelters some six thousand varieties of plants-almost twice the number found in Western Europe.

The malt whiskies born here are simultaneously blessed with a very particular microclimate, luxurious forests, and water offering a rare softness and purity, only made possible by filtration of rain and snow through thousand-year-old granite rocks.

Now, without all of that romantic marketing flourish, I can add that the high altitude and cool temperatures require extended maturation times, unlike the whiskies from India.  The Hakushu distillery was actually assembled in two parts, the first in the '70s.  Upon the second section's completion in 1981, Hakushu was then the largest malt distillery in the world.  When the whisky market depression hit Japan at the end of the decade, the older half (Hakushu West) was closed.  Hakushu East is what remains to this day, pushing out 3 million liters a year, most of which goes to Suntory's blends.

(I would be remiss if I didn't encourage you to go to Chris Bunting's amazing Japanese whisky site http://nonjatta.blogspot.com/.)

For years Yamazaki was the only Japanese single malt available in The States.  But last year, to the excitement of malt fans, Hakushu 12 came to our shores.

I tried out Yamazaki 12 at a restaurant before purchasing it, discovering that it went great with everything from sushi to chocolate cake.  A couple months later I bought a bottle.  A couple months later it was gone.  I was so enthused that I was going to buy a bottle of Hakushu 12 blind.  Luckily, cooler brain cells prevailed.

Before I continue with my tasting notes, here's a big disclaimer.  I may have tried a faulty sample.  Jim Murray, Serge, and the K&L Davids love this whisky, but their notes seem to be for a completely different product than the one I tried.  They found Hakushu 12 to be fresh and sweet.  What I drank was a bit different...

NEAT
Color -- Light gold
Nose -- Mostly farts, sulphuric, gas leak. Then mild peat, grassy, a little bourbon oak. After a long while a hint of brown sugar and band-aids appear.
Texture -- Smooth and silky
Palate -- Wood smoke, salty, vegetal peat, cinnamon
Finish -- Moderate, salty, crisp

WITH WATER (around 34% ABV)
Nose -- Cheese and flatulence. Beef-like. Much less peat.
Palate -- Creamier. Slightly sweeter. Almost no peat.
Finish -- Short. A little bitter.

OVERALL: Think a watered-down Laphroaig 10 meets Glenfiddich 12 infused with a kitchen gas leak.

It's that gassy element (along with the cheese) that makes me think something went awry with my sample.  Sulphur notes aren't irregular with sherry cask matured whiskies, though there's debate about the positives and negatives in that element.  But Hakushu is mainly matured in ex-bourbon hogsheads, which shouldn't provide anything sulphuric.  And definitely nothing like a gas leak.

Yet, I've purchased many samples from my source and never have had one go weird like this.  I tested my palate before this tasting with sip and sniff of a good go-to, and found that my nose and tastebuds were sharp.  So I'm a bit perplexed.

Aside from all the gas and fart talk, it's a fair, light, mild whisky.  I believe that's its true nature.  I wish the peat held up a little stronger after a few drops of water.  And overall it's a little too sleepy for my palate.  THOUGH, I wouldn't mind giving it another spin someday......just in case.

Availability - Most liquor specialists

Pricing - Reasonable at $45-$60

Rating - 72 (This is the old rating. See the rating update HERE)

Next week we'll hit the final stretch of our Whisky World Tour: something very international and something very Diageo...