Hakushu 18-year-old

great, beautiful, robust, integrated smoker

Aroma: The aroma is exquisitely refined, with smokiness serving as a perfectly balanced and delicate accent. This is followed by a very fruity note, bursting with ripe, juicy fruit. Despite being only 18 years old, the layers and depth of the aroma rival those of a 25-year-old wine. This is likely the only aged Hakushu peated wine, with a balanced and mellow aroma underlying cream, red apple, and delicate floral notes. 93 Flavor profile: The palate opens with an admirable, oily body, extremely rich and viscous, followed by an explosion of floral and fruity aromas on the tongue. The delicate fragrance of fruit skins—pear, pineapple—is abundant, with numerous tropical fruit elements and floral notes interwoven throughout. The peaty smokiness is smoothed and subtly revealed. 93 Rating: 93/100

This is excellent. Mellowed and round peat with spice and a touch of heat. Grassy and caramel and slight sherry and bit of ash. Fruity as well. 91/100 extremely solid.

Forest smoke meets Japanese finesse. Green apple, pine and a soft peat glow, elegant and unmistakably Hakushu.

Nose: Powdery, floral, fresh fruit, minty, green apples Mouth: Floral, melon, pineapple, sweet and salty, crisp. finish: long perfume finish, woody dry

Following the 'nihonjin' line of whiskys, I came across this 18y delicacy. A delicacy because in this case, it is a rarity from this distillery, especially as this is a peated version. In aroma, it brings the sweetness of heather honey from the confines of Portugal, it is very clean, with acidic notes of passion fruit that make it astringent, caramel, and a light sweet smoke of good quality tobacco with some vegetation ash, give the final touch. On the palate, its oiliness stands out, in what I believe to be the profile of this line, similar to Yama 18y. Some notes of roasted yellow fruits give way to pork with sugarcane molasses in the smoker after many hours, but they mix with herbaceous notes such as sage, which is very characteristic, and the light bitterness of shiso, this is the ' Japanese boldo, argh! Until a chariot of fire appears with notes of spices such as cloves, dill and a subtle black pepper that looks more like a Tabasco sauce, sweet and spicy, a pipe smoke appears insinuating and full of fun without trampling on the proposal and the other notes of this label, all the details make each component of this whisky shine, and make it impossible to mask any nuances. Its finish is long-lasting, bringing the sweetness of the malt, the lightness and minerality of the water and the light ash, something like burning a stock of cotton candy, while enjoying a lemon merengue, sitting, looking at the chaos around. One caveat here, don't think about drinking this label and imagining a Laphroaig or an Octomore, as you will be frustrated. We are talking about something full of flavors, subtleties and vibrations very different from what exists on the market, it is extremely elegant and sober to clearly say what it came for. If you ask again if it is worth it, I will deny it as I have done with so many other bottles here, but in truth I tell you that the sensation of being able to feel a breath or even a divine caress, makes this Japanese experience totally worth it, which is just like a merciful embrace from a thousand-armed Kannon. Rating - 92.5 (Divine Urine)

Solid and easy to drink, passion fruit and pineapple mixed with peat, grass and oak texture, smooth and long entrance

Solid modern Japanese whisky. bit pricy tho

Mixed of vintage cask, avg age of 26 years old, reminiscent to older islay style with lots vibrancy

Hakushu peated is more than Yamazaki mizunara. It is Great complex.

This is not far from the good old days of Laphie. I would say it is even more pleasant considering the rendering of peat that is to my liking. But sorry for the pricetag.