Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt Japanese Whisky
"One for no age statement naysayers... Eloquent & beautiful." - whiskyadvocate.com Back in 2015, Nikka announced they were discontinuing their age statement and No Age Statement (NAS) releases for the Yoichi and Miyagikyo labels and consolidating them into two new bottlings. These whiskies have now arrived in Australia. Two NAS versions that differ slightly to the previous versions now represent the entire portfolio. It was yet another move that triggered a buying rush. Reports have it that Tokyo is now pretty much out of age statement Japanese whiskies, unless you visit bars or auction houses. Nikka's reasons for the radical new strategy are now familiar. They simply have no old stocks to sell. Decades ago, both local and world demand for Japanese malts was low, so few barrels were being laid down for extended periods. Stefan Van Eycken, writing for www.nonjatta.com explains "...there were years, at both Yoichi and Miyagikyo distillery, when the barrels laid down for maturation could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The ‘stock shortage’ is not an excuse or a PR stunt – it’s very real. Sources within Nikka have said that it is ‘likely’ that age-statement single malts will be brought back in 5 or 6 years’ time. No official statement to that effect has been made for the simple reason that doing so – in Japan – would be interpreted as a promise (which could come back to haunt them in 6 years’ time)." The dropping of age statements doesn't always translate into a drop in quality. Early reviews for both releases have been very positive. Evidently, Chief blender Tadashi Sakuma has risen to the challenge of creating a great assemblage from a restricted inventory.
Choya Umeshu Gold Edition
Gold Edition is made from 100% Japanese Nanko ume & French brandy and contains real gold flakes that will amuse your eye. It has especially elegant and fruity taste and aroma of the ume fruit and French brandy. This is the drink you can see and taste the quality.
Pearl Red Cien
Pearl Red CiEn - 12years Baijiu Pearl Red CiEn sits on our top shelf as the pinnacle of our achievements in rice spirit making. It is a mellow-bodied rice spirit, and has a perfectly balanced taste. CiEn represents our best 12-year-old vintage from our clay vessels, thus it has a prominent bouquet. From your very first sip, the tongue will gain a magical experience of mellowness and balance. The stately red packaging is befitting of CiEn's status as the jewel of the Pearl Red crown. The bottle shape takes its cues from the more traditional Chinese rice spirit, and contains 500ml of our most precious liquid. With 21 standard drinks, each bottle has an alcohol volume of 51%. Pearl Red CiEn is made with an age-old traditional technique and hand-made processes.
Yamazaki Distillers Reserve Single Malt Japanese Whisky
Suntory's Flagship whiskey, the Yamazaki takes its place as the number 1 single malt whiskey in Japan. Also available in 12, 18 and 25 year varieties the Distillers reserve is the youngest in the lineup. Crafted using malt matured in sherry casks which gives the whisky a rich spiced nose of sherry soaked plums and raisins. On the palate you’ll find coffee and chocolate with a hint of smoke. A fantastic Japanese malt and one of the best currently produced bearing the Takesuru name.
Mars Distillery Maltage Cosmo Blended Malt Japanese Whisky
Mars Maltage Cosmo Blended Malt Whisky is an amber gold in colour. On the nose are hints of spicy stewed pears, walnut slices, and prunes. It is a light-to-medium bodied whisky with malt flavours and a smokey but sweet overlay. The finish is long with a mildly oily but spicy flavour. Mars Maltage Cosmo Blended Malt Whiskey is aged in sherry, bourbon, and American White Oak new casks. Cosmo is named after a mountain in the Japan Central Alps close to the Mars Whisky Distillery.
Okayama Craft Gin Sakura Finish
Okayama Craft Gin Sakura Cask Finish is distilled using rice shochu as a base plus a blend of more than a dozen classic botanical including coriander, lemon peel, juniper, lavender, and orange. Unique to this gin is the Okayama region famous Momo white peach. Finished in a barrel made from Sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom) imparting a sweet wild berry note. The resulting gin has aromas of citrus, lavender, peach, and wild cherry across the nose. The palate comes together with a blend of juniper, Mikan/Hetsuka orange and yuzu lemon, kumquat, Saigon cinnamon. he cask influence adds brioche, cherry candy and marzipan.
Okayama 12 Year Old Barely Sherry Shochu
Aged for 12 years in sherry barrels, the Okayama 12 Year Old Barely Sherry Cask Shochu has a taste of equal parts elegant and mellow. The aging process combines the best elements from sake and scotch, creating a drop excellent for both savouring and sipping. The nose has exquisite aromas of brioche, sherry, oak, and barley. Notes of summer citrus float across the palate giving way to the soft sweetness of caramel and vanilla. A long, textured, and creamy finish.
Kyoya Hinata Small Batch Gin
Kyoya Hinata Small Batch Gin is distilled with generous amounts of juniper complimenting the piny flavour and provides this gin its signature warmth. Botanical extracts from hebess citrus, kumquat, yuganatsu citrus from the sunny Miyazaki prefecture have been added. A beautiful afterglow of cardamom and chamomile shine through.
The Kurayoshi Pure Malt Sherry Japanese Whisky
The Kurayoshi Pure Malt Whisky Sherry Cask is a boutique Japanese whisky produced by the Matsui distillery..This is a 100% malted barley whisky, sourced from distilleries around Scotland, before making their way to Japan, where it is blended with Japanese Whisky, aged and cut to proof with the legendary volcanic stone filtered waters of Tottori Prefecture. This means that the profile is brighter that you would expect in this age-range. This brings out more herbal and citrus notes while maintaining a nice complexity. The real surprise is how well it pairs with food. Think of it like a “white Wine of Whisky” and enjoy.
Ichiro's Malt & Grain World Blended Whisky
Ichiro Akuto's most voluminous and accessible Whisky is, as it says on the label, a blend of Malt and Grain Whiskies. While the exact source of the material is not published, it's known it's a blend of Japanese distilled material vatted with Whiskies sourced from around the world. In addition to whisky from his own stocks--including, potentially, Hanyu and Karuizawa, as well as his own Chichibu--the blend contains spirits from Canada, the United States, Ireland and Scotland. The imported Whiskeys are 3-5-years-old, aged in their country of origin before being carefully blended with local Japanese material and matured a further 1-3 years at Chichibu. The Whisky is vatted in 2 x 5,000-litre wooden barrels built by French cooper Taransaud. Non-chill filtered, non-coloured, Chichibu Ichiro's Malt & Grain World Blended Whisky is a pure example of Akuto's whisky making expertise.