Let’s start the new year 2022 in this blog with a whisky from Suntory’s mountain forest distillery Hakushu.
Hakushu means “white sand banks” named after the mineral deposits in the streams that feed the distillery. I believe that this fairly young Hakushu release is fully matured in American oak, please correct me if I’m wrong.
Colour: Straw with a orange hue.
Nose: The nose is extremely green and grassy – superbly fresh indeed. Sniffing crushed dried mint from the palm of your hand. Also some bitter new oak & toasted oak with some minty fudge. There’s some peat smoke, but I must emphasize that the smokiness of this dram is not at all like the coastal Scottish smokiness, it is very gentle and well integrated. The green apples and pears bring Glenfiddich strongly to my mind, which is in my opinion always a pleasant thing.
Palate: Spicy bitter oak. Citrus fruits with a mixture of herbs. Herbal ice tea. Yes, this is a very zesty and fresh dram. Warning to the sweet tooths out there, this is not in any way a sweet dram. Peat smoke is there and it’s bubbling under. Smoke is even more discreet on the palate than on the nose. Somehow this dram reminds me of some zesty bone dry Gewürztraminer white wines, perhaps due to some acidic apricot stone fruit notes.
Finish: Quite short, notes of green tea and bitter oak.
Comments: Fresh and excellent aperitive for the spring. It is literally a verdant whisky as the Suntory’s slogan states. Great job from Japan.
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