Tasted #149 - #152: Hakushu 18, New Make, "smoky" component and Chita New Make

As mentioned the other day, our visit to the Suntory Hakushu distillery last month uncovered an amazing find in the form of the distillery bar, with some seriously cheap whiskies for tasting (see the article or photo below for examples), many of which aren't available to purchase, or likely taste anywhere else in the world (except perhaps the Yamazaki distillery).

Of course, being TimeforWhisky.com, we weren't going to taste all those whiskies and not write about them, were we? No, no we weren't....so here are the Hakushu and Chita whiskies (and spirits) we tasted:

Hakushu 18 (43% ABV, 18yo, Japan, $250AUD / $2,400HKD)
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Colour: Deep orange copper
Nose: Earthy, hints of pine needles. The slightest hint of smoke.
Palate: Spicy earthiness, moss, some sesame.
Finish: Long, smooth and enjoyable. Moss, oak, and sesame crackers.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100.

Hakushu new make spirit (70% ABV, unaged, Japan, not available for purchase)
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Colour: Deep, dark copper...ha no, I kid. Clear as water, obviously.
Nose: Grassy earthiness, with some kitchen cleaning products (but in a good way...?)
Palate: Earthy bubblegum.
Finish: Hot, as expected, and medium length. The alcohol esters are there, but they don't ruin the finish.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. As far as new makes go, not a bad one. And quite different to the usual banana / strong bubble gum notes you get on a lot of others.

"Smoky" component malt for Hakushu 12 (50% ABV, 12yo, Japan, not available for purchase)

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Colour: Pale straw
Nose: Campfire smokiness, obvious peat, with an earthy undertone.
Palate: Fresh woodfired bread, shortbread biscuits, and a lot of peat smoke.
Finish: Medium and peaty to the end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100.


Chita New Make Grain Distillate (58% ABV, unaged, Japan, not available for purchase)
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Colour: Clear as day
Nose: Windex, spirytus. Not a lot of complexity.
Palate: Surprisingly light - very few discernible qualities. Some bananas, some pineapple. Quite hot.
Finish: Short and plain, with no real stand-out characteristics.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 80/100. Nowhere near as complex or enjoyable as the Hibiki NMS.

Cheers,

Martin.

Tasted #35: Seagram Blender's Pride Reserve Collction (#101drams)

In my job I work closely with a team in India - really just as an extension of our local team in Australia. We talk daily, catch up socially (via e-mail / phone) and celebrate milestones and birthdays. On my birthday last year, the team sent me a Happy Birthday e-mail saying they'd pour a "Blender's Pride" for me over in India. I hadn't heard of it before (being only familiar with the excellent Amrut when it comes to Indian whisky), but shortly after when I pulled together my #101drams list, I knew it had to feature.

Luckily on a recent trip, one of my team members was kind enough to bring a bottle over - of the "Reserve Collection", which is the premium version of Blender's Pride. Distributed by Pernod Ricard in India, Seagram Blender's Pride is a blend of "imported Scotch malts" and "select Indian grain spirits". No word on which Scottish malts are included.

I was warned that I "may not like it" and "it's not as good as Amrut" (which I fully expected, ha), but regardless, I was keen to give it a go.

Seagram Blender's Pride Reserve Collection (42.8% ABV, NAS blend, India)
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Nose: Light, but with strong esthers. Very fruity - peaches, cherries. Not overly smooth.

Palate: Nothing like the nose at all. Quite smooth, and none of the fruit that the nose gave off. The grain influence is there, and it's clearly young. Shortbread, rice cakes, but overall very light on the palate. It's not bad, there's just not a whole lot going on.

Finish: Extremely short - mostly gone after a few seconds. A grain-influenced finish with hints of rice cakes at the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 80/100. Look, I didn't expect this to be a knockout, but I'll be honest and say it is better than I expected. As far as cheaper blends go (it sells for around $15AUD/bottle), it's very drinkable and I'd say would give JW Red a run for its money. Then again, Steph tried it without knowing what it was, and her only comment was "There's no pride in that!!" 

Cheers,
 - Martin.