The Hakushu 12 yo, 43%.

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.  

whisky.suntory.com

Ballantine’s Deluxe Scotch Whisky. 18 years old. Bottled in the 80’s. 43%

I found this miniature among another exciting miniatures in a tiny liquor store in Torremolinos Spain about 15 years ago. My first encounter with the Ballantine’s goes back to the golden 80’s when my brother shared a bottle of Ballantine’s 12 yo on our vacation in Benidorm Spain – as a teenager our goal was get drunk. As you can guess it all ended up in our hotel bathroom, talking to the toilet. Since that I haven’t touch Ballantine’s 12 yo, oh those fond memories.

Colour: Gold.  

Nose: Nice mellow aromas of oloroso sherry. A hint of crushed coriander seeds and curry powder. There is also some Highland peat in the mix. Malted barley & beef stock. Dark chocolate and vanilla extract. Very nicely balanced nose. 

Palate: Feels quite a bit stronger than 43% ABV. The palate follows the nose:  Nutty oloroso sherry. Middle part of the palate is quite spicy with nice nippy oak tannins. 90 % dark chocolate and cooling mint & cocoa powder. All in all, good strong balance.

Finish: Green oak, strong spicy minty notes.

Yeah, a fine old blend – From now on I will not avoid the Ballantine’s finest.

www.ballantines.com

Teerenpeli Distiller's Choice Kaski. Matured in ex-sherry casks. 43 %.

Since I'm a Finn, it's almost obligatory for me to review this Finnish whisky. I visited the Teerenpeli distillery in July 2012 and there I got the chance to taste some of their spirits/whiskies during the distillery tour. I liked their stuff quite a lot, including the new make. I hope this is a good one too.

Nose: Restrained Highland style wood smoke. Fairly sweet.  Hint of rubber, but just a hint. Stewed dark fruits as plums etc. Defrosted strawberries. Fresh and sweet sherry in the backround. Very nice.

Palate: Fresh raspberries. Sweet'n'sour, mable syrup, Turkish delight, butterscotch.Well mastered alcohol, 43 % ABV is all that's needed here - I think that higher strengh of alcohol would mask the profile.Vanilla rounds the edges of the palate. A touch of sweet sherry. A very light smoke in the horizon. Butterscotch takes over at the end in a big way, almost in an overpowering manner.

Finish: Sour, dried and fresh plums. Roasted coffee.

Considering the age (6 yo) this whisky has a great potential, it's interesting to see how the whisky benefits from longer maturation. In a blind tasting I would guess that this is a dram from the Highlands. Quite nice and definitely interesting stuff.

Since Kaski Teerenpeli has just recently released a new bottling called ÄES, and in addition they will be selling (starting from next week) in all Teerenpeli restaurants a 10 yo (58,5%) whisky straight from the single cask (one 16-litre cask per restaurant).

PS. In English "kaski" signifies a swidden.

www.teerenpeli.com

Teerenpeli Distiller's Choice Kaski. Madurado en ex barricas de jerez. 43 %.

Como soy un finlandés, es casi obligatorio que haga esta cata finlandesa. Visité la Teerenpeli destilería en julio de 2012 y entonces tuve la oportunidad de probar algunos de sus whiskies durante el recorrido de la destilería. Me gustaron bastante sus productos, también el new make, y ahora espero que este también sea bueno.

Nariz: Moderado humo de madera al estilo de Highland. Bastante dulce. Un toque de goma, pero solo ligeramente. Frutas oscuras como ciruelas etc cocinadas a fuego lento. Fresas descongeladas. Jerez fresco y dulce en el fondo. Muy agradable.

Paladar: Frambuesas frescas. Agridulce, jarabe de acre, delicias turcas, dulces de manteca y azúcar. Alcohol bien dominado, 43 % ABV es todo lo que se necesita aquí - creo que un volumen de alcohol más alto ocultaría el perfil. Vainilla redondea los bordes del paladar. Un toque de jerez dulce. Humo muy ligero en el horizonte. El sabor de la dulce de manteca y azúcar se extende muchísimo al final, casi en una manera fortísima.

Final: Amargo, ciruelas secas y frescas. Café tostado.

Tomando en cuenta su edad (6 años) este whisky tiene un gran potencial, será interesante ver cómo el whisky beneficia de maduración más larga. En una cata ciega adivinaría que se trata de un whisky de Highland. Un producto bastante agradable y definitivamente interesante.

Después de Kaski Teerenpeli ha lanzado hace poco una embotellamiento nueva que se llama ÄES, y además de eso, van a empezar a vender (empezando la semana que viene) en todas las Teerenpeli restaurantes un whisky de 10 años (58,5%) directamente del barril (un barril de 16 litros en un restaurante).

P.D. En español "kaski" significa una área que ha sido desbrozado (cortando y quemando la vegetación) para el cultivo.

www.teerenpeli.com