Practical Whisky: Review Data

#230 Yamazaki 12 YO Single Malt Japanese

This cost is what I found the likely shelf price for a 750ml bottle to be, based on an average of costs throughout the USA. Your price may differ significantly. This is not an advertisement of sale, this bottle is likely empty by now anyway Cost

$45⁰⁰

Bottler

Official Bottling

00-09:	Horrid
10-19:	Awful
20-29:	Unpleasant
30-39:	Poor
40-49:	Below Average
50-59:	Average
60-69:	Recommendable
70-79:	Very Good
80-89:	Excellent
90-99:	Fantastic

Taste Score

The whisky's score as weighed against the cost of a bottle. Adj. Score

ABV

40%

Awards

Tasting # 252: The First Whisky of the Rising Sun (14-APR-2008)

Notes

Yamazaki 12 was a slight disappointment.

Scorewise it was wonderful, striding proudly to within bare clutching distance of the fabulous 90. But honestly? For my first Japanese whisky I wanted it to be a whole new WORLD of whisky flavor, and well, it tastes like a good Scotch. Now some feathers are perhaps ruffling out there and so be it, but darn it! I wanted this to be like Bourbon, a whole new world of flavor and what do I get? Wood, sherry and malt. Ah well, it is still a great glass and I'll just have to be satisfied with that.

1^st
Impression

Yay! A Japanese whisky! I'm still in shock that I found this. I hope to unlock a shocking new world of flavors and tastes!

Smell

Soft and light, malt grains and rose petals. Very clean. Very... Scotch-like, well, without the rose petals.

Taste

Clean foundation of malt that expands to gentle smoke, sweet sherry and butter. Very faint peat meets a rising fruit flavor at the top. The fade introduces salted butter and nuts while the fruit and smoke continue. The finish is great, all the malt and smoke hold wait patiently while the fruit and nuts disappear, then take their turn exiting. The whole comes off as tremendously balanced and remarkably mooth. Exceptional stuff. High 80s.

Tasting Score

Comments
	Mark 15-May-2009 21:24:03 GMT 90	I had a scotch/whiskey tasting and this was one of the 8 I had everyone try. Everyone liked in and would have never know the origins. One person said it pained him to like a Japanesse whiskey. This is really smooth and full of flavor, but not overwhelming in anyone area, which makes it so good. In St. Louis, it is about $36, the same as other scotches. A great buy and must have for your drinking collection.
	Brian Milhorn 01-Mar-2009 09:27:43 GMT 92	Wow. Yamazaki neat is my new Scotch - or as I once read: Yamazaki: It's Japanese for Scotch. Extremely smooth and balanced - makes me wonder what the 18yo could possibly bring (I won't be finding that out for a while at $110 a bottle, mind you). I found this for $40 and would easily recommend this to anyone looking for a sub $100 single malt. Hopefully I get a chance to try a Nikka sometime in the near future to see how it stacks up to this Suntory masterpiece.
	Richard 14-Feb-2009 22:20:08 GMT 70	Learn from me: do not add water to this. All I could taste was intense malt sweetness, almost to the point where I was picking up a maple syrup vibe that made me think of pancakes. I'll probably have to try it neat for a more valid tasting, but for now I think I'll stick to Scotland for my single malt whisky and Japan for me sake.
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