Suntory Whisky Excellence, 80th anniversary of Suntory, Neck label 2886, 43% abv.

Apparently this bottle was released to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Suntory  around 1979-1980 and was discontinued around 1989 when Hibiki supposedly started. Seems like this is a blend of Yama and Haka with two versions available, one with a metal neck ring and one without. The neck label seems to give different 4 digit codes, of which I've seen 2 different ones. Drank this in 2020.

Nose: minerals, sodium fluoride, hints of chlorine, hay, old decaying grass, light honey which slowly gets sweeter and more dominant with time but never past what I would call a "medium" or "moderate" level, hints of dill, decaying herbs and flowers, more in line with Balvenie though and I anticipate it to be just as sweet.

Palate: light to medium body, initial palate is shockingly sweet relative to the nose, a sort of citrus-lime tartness which dimishes with each sip, mid palate continues with the tartness although in a more diminished state, that strange old Japanese whisky sweetness (I get these from Mars...), a sort of vanilla, no cinnamon, no real chocolate, perhaps some graham? Is this sweetness from a grain component? back palate has a silky and more full bodied experience, some paper, dusty cardboard, some of these elements remind me of the Suntory Gold but in a less appealing manner.

Finish: medium, a weird alochol burn but more closer to burnt food residue, burnt black vegetable bits. The trough in the adventure.

These are always interesting; it's not amazing or complex. All phases show a balance between nicer honey sweet elements and something not so nice, like cardboard, hay, etc. I suspect a decent grain portion, makes me wonder if Suntory had a dedicated grain producer at the time of this release.

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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