Review 240. Japan in July, part 3. Yamazaki 12 yo single malt: Japan's quintessential single malt

If there’s one thing I want to stay well clear off, it’s falling into the  Dunning-Kruger trap. As much as I’m an opiniated bugger, I would like to think my opinions are based on experience and (pretentious moi incoming) insight, rather than bias or prejudice. And while I’m well aware of the fact that both prejudice and bias are inevitable and on occasion tend to slip into the equation, I also very much like to believe that what I’m saying isn’t completely pulled out of thin air. This just to make it clear that when it comes to Japanese whisky, I feel as if I’m still at the point of dipping the toe into the pond to test the water. Of the hundreds and hundreds of whiskies I’ve tried over the years, perhaps only a dozen or so have been Japanese whisky. When I seriously got into whisky 10 or so years ago, the hype train regarding all things Japanese whisky  was in full swing, with the price tags to match it. And while in hindsight paying about €70 or €80 for a bottle of 12 yo Japanese single malt  doesn’t seem ridiculous with today’s prices in mind, back then that was really out of my comfort zone. Because at the time, there was some excellent 10-12 yo stuff  from Scotland or even Ireland (readily) available  that would be hovering in or around  the €40 - €50 range. Ben Nevis 10, Springbank 10, Ardbeg10, Benromach 10, Powers 12 yo, Bunnahabhain 12… those were the whiskies that set the bar for me, not just in terms of pricing but also  when talking quality. So initially I didn’t really feel inclined to be spending €20 to €30 or even more beyond my comfort zone just to try something Japanese, especially when there was still so much Scotch to explore and discover. By the time I felt I had a basic yet solid understanding of the whisky landscape in Scotland, making me not just curious but also willing to broaden the horizon, and we’re talking several years onwards here, inflation forced me (and disposable income allowed me) to do just that, making the bulk of my purchases sitting in the €50 - €100 bracket.  Which of course only meant that those €70-€80 price tags slapped on Hakushu or Yamazaki 12 year old back in  2015 are now easily north of €100 in many markets. The end result being that to me they’re still very easy to ignore, as €120/£110 for a 43% ABV, 12 yo is  simply not what I’m looking for in a whisky. So much for avoiding bias and prejudice…

Yamazaki 12 yo single malt whisky. 43% ABV, likely chill filtered. 2014 domestic release, app. €120 in today’s market.

At the start of this series I dubbed Suntory’s Hibiki ‘the daddy’ of all Japanese whiskies, and while indeed it’s an iconic whisky, with an equally iconic bottle, renowned and loved the world over, if we are to label it with paternal status, I think it’s only fair to give Yamazaki 12 the title of ‘Granddaddy’. Built in 1923, Yamazaki is of course Japan’s first and oldest whisky distillery. Located near Osaka (Japan’s third city and at the time the commercial and economic heart of the country) it has seen significant changes during its first century of operating. It really is a Jack of All Trades as (after the most recent expansion in 2013) it is now equipped with 8 pairs of stills of varying shapes and sizes, different angles on the lyne arms etc… making it possible to create pretty much any style of spirit you could ask for. While not always under its own name – as a lot of Suntory’ s whisky used to be released under the Suntory brand rather than the distillery name – it’s  fair to say Yamazaki has been setting the bar for Japanese whisky for over a century now. When the Yamazaki brand was released in 1984 it became Japan’s first ever single malt and their 12 yo, regardless of whatever price tag is slapped upon it these days, has grown and became nothing short of an icon, not just of Japanese whisky, but also of Japanese culture (if only for that beautiful Japanese calligraphy on the label. A feature that has been copied many times over by other producers)  and of whisky in general.  So before we dive into some notes, I want to say a big thank you to Nic, aka whisky 101, who kindly provided all the samples for this series.

Nose

Lovely soft notes of wood and wood polish & wax. Subtle citrus. A whiff of leather in there too, some honey, milk chocolate and red berries. There’s a herbal/minty freshness to it as well, adding a pleasant light touch to things. Not that any point it becomes overly heavy or intense. Overall it’s rich yet subtle and absolutely delightful.

Palate

Verry mellow, gentle arrival. Dare I use the dreaded word ‘smooth’? Again, there’s a pleasant mixture of wood and wood polish, with coffee, (milk) chocolate and caramel. Countering these, there’s a gently bitter fruit (citrus and green apples) and spice note.

Finish

Again that combo of wood and wood spice with perhaps a faint note of clove and ginger in a  not particularly long but not too short finish.

Final thoughts

This is not the most complex or challenging whisky out there, but what it does offer is a very well made, expertly crafted even, whisky. Elegance and craftmanship are what describes this best. It’s nuanced, with attention to detail and in that way very ‘Japanese’. This really is a statement in a glass, as it celebrates  the art of the craft applied to blending and marrying casks together to create something that is specifically aimed to be pleasing, but in the best of ways. From what I learned from Mac at Kanpai Planet, it’s a mixture of both peated (which I’m not really picking up any point) and unpeated whisky that has been matured in 3 types of casks (American white oak, Mizunara and Spanish oak) and the balance between all its components is pretty flawless imo. While it’s easy going, it’s always interesting and pleasant and you can tell this is ‘constructed’ and ‘assembled’ by folk who know their craft and trade.  The Japanese sign on the label might just as well say ‘our aim is to satisfy’ as it does that very well indeed. All that said, I still don’t think it can live up to a price tag of north of €100, so I do hope that, as the frantic flipping and price gouging seem to slowly come to a halt, we might see these at more sensible and reasonable prices somewhere down the line.

And  that’s me done for a couple of weeks. Time for a wee break away from whisky and reviewing and I’ll see you all back in a couple of weeks.