#whiskyPhDram No. 32. Nikka Yoichi 12. Spicy Old Cola Paintings. Single Malt Japanese Whisky.

Nose - Oreo cookies with the lovely sweet filling, a delicious assortment of berries vague memories of smoke, with caramels, a little bit of Campbeltown funk. Really lovely and intoxicating, sour damp wood. is that glue? So many things to unpack.

Palate - Wow. I can’t find the words. Cool on the palate. A little woody, in a lovely way, paint materials, feels really old and regal. Feels much older than 12 years. A little bit of farm grains, a little dusty. The palate changes to bring out some ripe fruits. Grapes? A little bit of sugar? A second sip and there’s some sea salt on the sides of the palate. Really complex. Teak? Old varnish. A slow leisurely walk. Really lovely.

Finish - Pleasantly spicy, some different peppers and sweet spices in there, cinnamon? Cloves? Crushed powder. That lovely yoichi dried berry finish. Some cola in there. Lovely iodine. Memories of perfectly grilled rosemary pork chop.

Feels like diving into an old painting.

Really delicious dram. Look at the legs, the color, the texture. Probably the best 12yo i’ve ever had. Sad that they’ve stopped making this though. Hopefully the Yoichi Distillery will get back to making this again one day.

Since it’s discontinued the prices can be insane. A 700ml bottle of this goes for between ₱52,000 (USD1,040) to ₱73,000 (USD1,330). That’s way too steep for me. But every once in a while, you can get lucky and find it in a bar for a reasonably priced dram.

🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃/5

Happy to be reviewing this amazing Yoichi 12 years after my first ever whisky review for the Nikka Yoichi NAS!

Image Courtesy of @WhiskyPH

@WhiskyPH

At its core, whisky appreciation is an exercise in memory. Notes of a whisky enthusiast in the Philippines. 🥃🇵🇭