Little is known about the background of the recent Suntory Distillery Exclusive bottles. However, information that consumers normally like to see but don’t see with Suntory – such as non-chill filtration status – is present on the bottle. For this Hakushu Distillery Exclusive, specifically, also confirmed on the bottle/box is the use of peated malt and American oak and Spanish oak casks. Also, with no age statement on the box or bottle, it may be safe to surmise that this whisky is not all that old.

With that being said, I don’t think that should be counted against this whisky. In my opinion, this whisky is meant to showcase and provide an example of what is going on at the distillery, and is – for the most part – only available at the distillery. This is something important to consider for any whisky review – whether or not a whisky accomplished anything it sets out to accomplish. Obviously, expectations should ideally always be tempered, but remember that sometimes whiskies need to be taken for what they are; especially for as little information that we have about this whisky, let’s have the product do that talking and see if it accomplishes what it should. Let’s get tasting!

Before diving into the background and review of the Hakushu Distillery Exclusive, I wanted to shoutout and thank my friends from @JapanWhisky for having this whisky in stock. Thankful to have this bottle!

Tasting Notes:

Nose – The nose presents this whisky as rather young (which is not always a bad thing, by the way). The nose brings peat, and has a smoky, herbal, and floral presence. Trademark Hakushu fruity notes of melon, pineapple, citrus zest, and grapefruit are joined with notes of raisin and apricot, confirming the presence of Spanish oak, so stated on the bottle. The fruits become clearer as the nose opens up. 

Palate – The palate does bring a little more spice to it than I was expecting, again, indicating youth while also potentially confirming American oak influence. With this spice on the palate also comes more peat, as well as tobacco, plums, and more citrus.

Finish – The finish is medium-short and still contains that peat, which has been present throughout the entire tasting experience. Remnants of the fruit flavors persist and are accompanied by a new toasted vanilla note.

Final Thoughts: 

This is a whisky that Hakushu fans will enjoy, and I believe this whisky should be looked at for what it is. While there is little information out there to promote this idea, I get the sense that the Distillery Exclusives provide visitors or consumers a taste of what is going on in the distillery, and that taste is enjoyable!

My Score: 79.1*/100

* A disclaimer that my scores are bound to change as I continue to taste and review a given spirit. This score was the result of one tasting and represents my first impressions.

Rating System:

• 96–100; An absolutely stellar whisky. Easily a contender for best whisky I’ve ever had.
• 90–95; A great whisky. One of the best whiskies I’ve had. Higher end of this spectrum approaches legend status.
• 80–89; This is a solid, strong whisky. Something is missing that prevents it from being great, but this is still a bottle I’d like to have. Anything at or above this point deserves a spot on my home bar. Higher end of this spectrum approaches “great whisky” territory.
• 70–79; This is a good whisky. Anything in this range and above is something I would consider having on my home bar. Something I could easily sip on every day and something I can enjoy simply for what it is. Does not blow me away, but is still enjoyable.
• 60–69; I’ve had better whiskies. I wouldn’t turn this down if someone offered me a dram, but I also wouldn’t go out of my way to grab a dram.
• 50–59; Not all that good. Again, might not turn it down, but would certainly not go out of my way to grab a dram or find. Would not recommend.
• 50 and below; Not worth the time.

Breakdown of Score:

Tasting Experience (Each category out of 10 possible points, then totaled/weighted 45%): 39/50 points 

• Nose (out of 10 possible points) - 8
• Palate (out of 10 possible points) - 8
• Finish (out of 10 possible points) - 7
• Balance, or how well the flavors work together (out of 10 possible points) - 9
• Complexity, or number of notes/distribution amongst them (out of 10 possible points) - 7

Tasting Experience Weighted Score of 35.1

Bottle Aesthetics (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 15%): 7/10 points

Bottle Aesthetics Weighted Score of 10.5

The Craft (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 15%): 8/10 points

The Craft Weighted Score of 12

Uniqueness (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 10%): 9/10 points

Uniqueness Weighted Score of 9

Value & Availability (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 5%): 6/10 points

Value & Availability Weighted Score of 3

Versatility (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 5%): 9/10 points

Versatility Weighted Score of 4.5

Bonus Category Intangibles (Out of 5 possible points, weighted 5%): 5/5 points

Bonus Category Intangibles Weighted Score of 5

Total Score = 79.1*

Explanation of Scoring Criteria:

There are seven total categories that amount to what I value in a whisk(e)y, and each category is weighted accordingly to what I value the most. The breakdown is as follows:

• The Tasting Experience category is weighted 45%. 50 possible points are spread evenly across five sub-categories. These sub-categories are nose; palate; finish; balance; and complexity. The rest of the categories allow a possible of 10 points each, respectively, but have varying weights.
• The Bottle Aesthetics category is weighted 15%. In this section I factor in the visuals of the just the bottle, because bottles aren’t always sold with or presented on bar shelves with their accompanying boxes.
• The Craft category is also weighted 15%. This section takes into account the process of making the whisk(e)y and the type(s) of maturation that was/were used.
• The Uniqueness category is weighted at 10%. This category takes into account anything about the dram that stands out, such as whether it’s the first release of its kind or a rare limited edition – things of that nature.
• The Value & Availability category is weighted at 5%. This category is self-explanatory. I have strayed away from talking about value and price in the past, but I think it is a rather important category that is worth talking about, even if it is only weighted at 5%.
• The Versatility category is weighted at 5%. This category is designed to capture the different ways in which a whisky can be served or presented, and whether or not this specific whisky fits the bill as something that is versatile. This category is weighted at 5% because not every can be used or is marketed for versatility, so it should not be a heavy factor.
• (Bonus Category) The Intangibles category is weighted at 5%. This category is meant to reflect the things you can’t always see coming – such as the significance of a whisk(e)y to me personally and anytime a dram evokes a feeling of nostalgia or elicits an emotional response. Not many whiskies should have this effect, which is why I feel like this category should be treated as more of a bonus, as something that can’t be foreseen.

The weighted scores are then added together to total the final score.

Images courtesy of Whisk(e)y & Whatnot.

Whisk(e)y & Whatnot
🇯🇵 whisky lover/scotch adventurer

Read his column on 88 Bamboo here!