Hakushu 12 Years Old (43%, OB, 2014)
- Japanese single malt whisky
- 43% ABV,
- £73.81
- Score: 83/100
What they say:
From Suntory’s mountain distillery, nestled deep in the forests of Mt. Kaikomagatake, Hakushu is the herbal and gently smoky single malt.
Straight from the untouched forests, mountains, and pure waters of the Southern Japanese Alps, it is no wonder that Hakushu is a “green and fresh” whisky, praised by the most curious whisky connoisseurs and lovers of gastronomy. Its crisp and vibrant feel, unique in a single malt, enlivens and liberates your senses.
12 Years.
Green with herbal notes.
Color: champagne gold
Nose: basil, pine needle, green apple
Palate: sweet pear, mint, kiwi
Finish: green tea, subtle smoke
What I say:
The Hakushu 12 Years Old expression from Suntory’s Hakushu distillery. The distillery was founded in 1973 with Hakushu Higashi (west) added in 1981.
Colour:
Light amber gold
Nose:
pine sap and pine needles and the inside of pine furniture, grassy/hay, cereal barley malt, nutty peat, and sweet fruit
Taste:
Cereal barley malt, oak/pine wood, somewhat neutral sweet/sour, no salt and a very light mouthfeel, hints of cinnamon and fruity cherry and plum sherbet, citrus fruits, a little floral and perfumed and faint hints of peat smoke
Finish:
Short/medium, neutral sweet/sour, oak and wood polish or beeswax
Overall:
This entry level dram from Hakushu is full of pine forests and fruit with a little waxy and peaty nature just for complexity. I agree completey with the distiller’s ‘green and fresh’ description, this one is delightful.
Share this:
Categories: Hakushu
The Whiskyphiles 
1 reply »