Tasting Notes:
Yoichi 余市 20 Years Old ☆☆
Style: Bold and Elegant
Nose:
Magnificent Aroma – heart-warming vanilla drizzled with delicious honey. Leathery, tobacco leaves with drops of raisin syrup slightly teasing your nose. Peat and ashy smoke glowing in the most charming way from the back, beautiful malt slowly pushing through… Incredibly complex and soothing sensation.
Palate:
Red liquorice brushes with more heather honey opening up on the palate. Tannins, tar, vintage wood and dry smoke diffusing gently. Grape juice gathering pace and carried by perfect spice. Magnificent sweetness radiated by the malt and nicely ended with dark chocolate and peppermint.
Finish:
Silky texture – chocolate oak, light honey malt, tender spice, juicy sherry and dry peat smoke all blend into one, lingering on for an exquisitely long finish.
Thoughts:
I have to admit that Yoichi is my favourite Japanese distillery – probably my favourite of all distilleries. Bold character with pure elegance, and this bottle of Yoichi 20 years old has pretty much summed up the excellence of this distillery, the smoke, sherry, peat, malt and oak, they all play a good part and contribute to the dram with a beautiful balance. To me, (and I quote Serge here) this is a masterpiece… Gutted it is no longer readily available. 大変美味しゅうございました!
[52%・2006・Original Bottling・General Release・Discontinued・Non Chill Filtered]
-Esmond
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