Fragrant and Floral 

Note: We assign every bottle we review to one of five Flavour Camps, based on the most dominant flavours found. The Flavour Camps are : (1) Fragrant and Floral, (2) Fruity and Spicy, (3) Malty and Dry, (4) Rich and Round and (5) Smokey and Peaty. To learn more about each Flavour Camp, please click here.

Score one of the best whiskies to come out of Japan in years here!

It’s been a quiet few years for the Japanese whisky scene hasn’t it? Just a few years back Japanese whiskies were all the rage, and people were clamouring for Yamazaki’s and Hibiki’s like toilet paper, then suddenly zip. Production stopped, releases slowed and one by one the core ranges fell, as the Japanese distillers sought to rebuild their supply. And now we just don’t hear that much from them anymore.

The Bottle​

It's a bit nostalgic to be holding a bottle of Taketsuru here, which happens to be a 2020 release. Which is funny considering it’s Japanese and NAS, which means they could’ve released it anytime, since they’re not subject to scotch whisky laws so meeting age statement requirements is not even a concern here.​

Of course that's about to change. So enjoy it while it lasts. 

Bottle Stats

Behind the Label

Short story long, Taketsuru, like the other Japanese malts from Nikka and Suntory, were culled as the Japanese whisky industry faced severe shortages from the apesh*t demand. Thus this 2020 release graces my lips as it is one of the few releases to have trickled out of these healing distilleries.

Suntory and Nikka, the two behemoths in the Japanese whisky scene. (Image Source: Conde Nast)

For those of you who might not be familiar with Taketsuru, I like to think of it as Hibiki’s cousin. By which I mean Hibiki hails from Suntory, and Taketsuru hails from Nikka, the alt-Suntory basically. Both Suntory and Nikka have their core single malt lines such as Yamazaki and Hakushu for Suntory, and Yoichi and Miyagikyo for Nikka. And then there’s the blends, which happens to be Hibiki for Suntory and Taketsuru for Nikka. Yes, yes, it’s like the the series 爱 that never ends and it’s just family lines. 

With such a rich history, you don't wanna miss the Taketsuru 2020 bottling! Find it here!

Tasting Notes

​Visually, a clear light straw yellow, not very viscous. But not atypical of Japanese whiskies either.​

​On the nose, it starts with a slight alcoholic tinge so I’m gonna just let it cool down a little and leave it to rest. A few minutes in, it’s certainly simmered down, the alcoholic twang is gone, thank god. It’s replaced by that characteristic musky mizunara that people like to say smells like wooden shrines. But yeah gotta give it to these marketers, it really do be smelling that way.

A lot of honey as well, it’s also fruity, like green apples, apricot, blackberries. It’s very light, sweet and slightly tart buoyed by that oaky musk. Really such a great nose.​

​On the palate, it’s light bodied, but oh boy does it pack a punch. At first sip it’s sweet and delicate, you do taste the honey you got on the nose, alongside this fragrant vanilla and jasmine. It’s somewhat like Pokka’s green tea. Then it develops to becoming a lot spicier and that’s where the kick is at. It grows into this little fireball that warms your throat.

Ondeh Ondeh is a Singapore/Malaysian snack, comprising of gelatinous rice balls coated in desiccated coconut shavings with a gooey stuffing of gula melaka cane sugar. (Image Source: Rasa Malaysia)

After that fireball simmers down, there’s this really nice soft coconut shaving, much like Ondeh Ondeh, know that desiccated coconut that coats the surface. There’s BBQ tropical fruits as well, like pineapples and pears. What’s interesting is there’s also peat which caught me by surprise. It’s a very gentle smoke that stays on after you’re done and it’s alittle salty at that. 

This is surprisingly very complex but so good. Like seriously, what?!​

The finish is medium, it’s not too short but yet doesn’t overstay. It goes down so smooth but when that fireball is put out, all those really wonderful subtle layers come out, like that toasty coconut shavings and the grilled tropical fruits and let’s not forget that whiff of smoke that is just slightly salty.

Thai grilled pineapples, the perfect tropical garnish. (Image Source: Archana's Kitchen)

What gets you is that right after the fireball goes down and you think you’re done, man oh man, it was just intermission! There’s a full second half left! 

Fragrant with wonderful aromatic incense, rich and sweet like Ondeh Ondeh, with a tangy grilled pineapple to bite! Try it here.​
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My Take

This was really good, I must say during that whole Japanese whisky boom, I did get a little jaded especially with prices just climbing like Tesla shares. So when this came out, I was mildly hesitant, but for the price, what the hey. And that turned out to be such a good call. This was such a strong showing and I can’t rave about it enough.

Some people scoff at NAS bottlings but trust me, this just took the cake. Wonderfully complex with all the right notes, it didn’t feel forced or suffered at the hands of some accelerated maturation. Yet its Japanese profile was distinctive from the nose and so nostalgic.

(Image Source: Eat This)

This is a great daily sipper but I could see it in cocktails as well given how much I know it’s gonna tank (hard carry much?). You’ll love this if Japanese whiskies are not a distant fever dream or if you like Pokka green tea, anything tropical or summer-y, and especially if peat is not your thing.

If you caught the Japanese whisky bug too late and missed the train, this is it. It’s light, it’s sweet, it’s fruity, it’s floral! Go get it!​

Bottomline, light yet complex, plays all the right notes, it hits the sweet spot for most Asian palate, price is great as well. 

Sidenote: I also read this was mostly comprised of Yoichi, which explains the peat. Yoichi was always the favorite being more full-bodied with a better structure. So a real gem here.

@111hotpot​