Fahrenheit 173 - Whisky Ratings
| Whisky | Age/ Vintage | Origin | Richness | Peat/ smoke | Sherry influence | Rating | Comments | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karuizawa |  | 8 | Japan | 8 | 0 | 3 | 82 | Quiet yet nice nose with gingerbread, honey and oak; the palate is at first mild, fruity and sweet but drying, develops spices and lot of oak; dry, quite spicy and disappointing finish (the label describes it as a vatting of sherry matured whiskies but the sherry character isn't prominent) | |
| Hakushu | 10 | Japan | 4 | 2 | 0 | 83 | Strange, unusual nose - fruity, herbal, grassy and oaky with a hint of peat. Nicer palate: light, smooth, oaky and slightly peaty. Oak and pepper on the finish. All in all unusual and interesting but not quite together. Quite drinkable, however. | | |
| Yoichi 45% | 15 | Japan | 6 | 1 | 0 | 84 | Fruity, flowery, oaky nose with notes of citrus, elderflower, cocoa and a hint of wood smoke, complex, fascinating, really nice; sweet, smooth palate with oak, citrus and cocoa again, rather nice yet a bit too flowery and it develops a disturbing buttery note; disappointing, flowery finish; all in all it has an interesting complexity but it's a bit splintered | | |
| Hibiki | 12 | Blend/ Japan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 85 | Fragrant, herbal, rather nice nose with oak shavings and vanilla; light palate with nice notes of green fruits but the fruits fade too soon, develops oak and turns fairly dry; disappointing finish | ||
| Nikka From The Barrel 51.4% | | Blend/ Japan | 5 | 0 | 2 | 86 | Light, fresh, fruity nose with lots of vanilla; richer palate, sweet with toffee and sherry fruits, develops oak; all in all rather nice yet a bit on the oaky side | ||
| Karuizawa | | 15 | Japan | 7 | 1 | 5 | 86 | Gingerbread, honey on the nose, also dried fruits and oak (a bit like an old Spanish brandy), also a little peaty; rich yet smooth palate, quite oaky but not overly dry, a little earthy, develops a note of mint; spicy (maybe too spicy) finish with brandy-like notes of oak and raisins, also cinnamon | |
| Hibiki | 17 | Blend/ Japan | 5 | 0 | 0 | 86 | Rather nice nose with oak and vanilla, also fruity; light, sweet, very nice palate with vanilla and citrus, develops oak and spices; similar to the 12 y.o. but fruitier and a little richer | ||
| Yoichi 52% | 20 | Japan | 6 | 1 | 0? | 87 | Very nice nose with oak, vanilla and a hint of smoke; rich yet fairly dry palate, also a little bitter and musty; all in all it's unusual and interesting with lots of flavours but it lacks balance | | |
| Yamazaki | | 10 | Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 87 | Very nice nose with oak, vanilla and citrus, also a little flowery; light, clean palate (über-clean in fact), smooth and sweet, develops spices | |
| Yamazaki | | 12 | Japan | 5 | 0 | 0 | 87 | Wonderful, fragrant nose with notes of tropical fruits, vanilla and oak; nice, sweet, oaky palate; clean and nicely balanced but just a little too oaky | |
| Nikka Taketsuru | | 12 | Malt/ Japan | 5 | 2 | 0 | 87 | Fragrant, floral nose with notes of oak, dark chocolate, citrus and peat, unusual yet rather nice; mild, sweet, floral palate, develops oak and peat; smooth and complex with a beautiful balance between sweet & spicy flavours; rather nice but maybe a little heavy on the flowery stuff... | |
| Karuizawa 60.4% cask 7387 | 1986 21 | Japan | 6 | 0 | 3 | 87 | Fragrant, very nose with notes of vanilla and gingerbread; rich, spicy palate, develops vanilla (nice yet a little disappointing after the nice nose) | ||
| Hakushu | 18 | Japan | 6 | 0 | 0? | 88 | Very nice nose: complex, subtle, herbal, grassy with fruity candy, oak shavings and vanilla; the palate is fairly rich, at first sweet with vanilla and citrus, then drying, develops oak; very nicely balanced | | |
| Yamazaki | 18 | Japan | 7 | 2 | 3 | 89 | Wonderful nose with vanilla, dried fruit and a yummy note of peat; rich, fruity, oaky, quite dry palate - rather nice but doesn't deliver what the nose promises | | |
| Nikka Taketsuru | | 21 | Malt/ Japan | 6 | 0 | 0? | 89 | Very nice, complex, fragrant nose with oak, vanilla, malt and citrus fruits; rich yet smooth palate, rather nice although fairly spicy | |
| Yamazaki Sherry Cask 48% | | Japan | 7 | 0 | 8 | 90 | Wonderful nose with sherry, vanilla and hints of coconut and turpentine; rich yet fairly dry palate, at first spicy with gingerbread then develops dried fruits and honey; quite oaky but with a nice balance between oak and sherry | |
Last modified on 20-Jun-2014. 1717801 accesses since 16-Nov-2000.