Suntory Hakushu 12 Year Old

Color: light golden. It comes in those Green bottles that do not let the color mislead you as to the quality and maturity of the spirit (same as Laphraoig). I wonder if this is for the same reasons.

Nose: The Nose is rather delicate and does not give any hints as what’s to happen next on the palate. I am getting some leafy notes (wet leaves in the winter, in an orchard) , Grass after being mowed , some flower petals , apple and maybe some hints of semi-sweet pears.

Palate : Palate starts like the nose , sweet fruity grassy , some cereal notes, then all of a sudden you get the Pepper attack! Peppers and some Tabasco! You definitely do not expect that peppery feeling based on the nose. It’s so different and very surprising. Rather nice!

Finish : the pepper is here to stay with some whiffs of light smoke, and hints of peat (this is what I call feather-light peat) so light it’s barely noticeably, but it’s there. The finish is quite long and the peppery feeling does linger for quite some time. Very enjoyable.

Summing it up:

This is an enjoyable dram, light on the nose, but very peppery on the palate. I can see myself sipping this on warmer evenings (translate : every evening in Israel from May-January) when I am looking for a delicate pre-dinner dram. Sitting on the veranda and enjoying a bit of breeze with this one can be a delight. As for pricing , around 46 GBP it’s not a cheap one, but a very interesting option to think about when building your Japanese/world whiskies shelf. A solid dram, no doubt.

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