JAPANESE WHISKIES AT BAM-BOU

Transcription

1 JAPANESE WHISKIES AT BAM-BOU 1st Edition

2 Content FOREWORD Dave Broom, Author of World Atlas of Whisky YAMAZAKI DISTILLERY Single Malts Single Casks SUNTORY BLENDED HAKUSHU DISTILLERY Single Malts Single Casks YOICHI DISTILLERY Single Malts Blended MIYAGIKYO DISTILLERY Single Malts Blended NIKKA BLENDS AND PURE MALTS CHICHIBU DISTILLERY Ichirio s Malt and Chichibu KARUIZAWA DISTILLERY Single Malts Blended HANYU DISTILLERY Single Malts WHITE OAK DISTILLERY Blended WHISKY GLOSSARY

3 Japanese whisky s reputation outside its home has been growing steadily for the past decade. Whisky lovers have fallen under the spell of a whisky style which takes a classical template and then applies very Japanese principles to it. The success of any whisky-making nation lies in its ability to make its whiskies speak of the culture from which they spring. Japanese whisky does this. When approaching them, therefore, free your mind of Scottish images and instead celebrate their differences. These are whiskies which are heightened in terms of aroma, precise and ordered on the palate. They have transparency and clarity, and manage to be both restrained, yet intense. New aromas are present the incense note of Japanese oak for example as well as familiar pointers like green grassiness, smoke, dried and soft fruits, yet even known flavours like these manifest themselves in a new manner when in the hands of Japanese distillers: the coastal intensity of Yoichi, the cool green pine notes of Hakushu, the calm, rounded completeness of any of the blends. As a Japanese whisky lover I have longed for there to be a bar in the UK where the full range of these remarkable, world-class whiskies can be explored. At last it is here in the form of Bam-Bou s Red Bar. Please enjoy your journey through a new world of whisky, flavour and magic. Dave Broom Author, World Atlas of Whisky and editor of Whisky Magazine Japan

4 SUNTORY - YAMAZAKI DISTILLERY Believed to be the first Japanese whisky distillery, the Yamazaki distillery was founded by Shinjiro Torii (pictured on the cover) with Masataka Taketsuru as his Master distiller. The distillery is located in the small town Shimamoto, close to Kyoto in the Osaka Prefecture, and surrounded by native bamboo forests and three rivers, Katsuragawa, Kizugawa and Ujigawa, providing an excellent water source, know as the Water of Rikyu used by Sen no Riky, the refiner of the Japanese tea ceremony in the 1500s. The Yamazaki distillery came to life in November1924 with its first whisky, The White Label available for retail in Due to its heavily peated style, it wasn t quite the start Torii was looking for. His vision was to produce a more subtle, balanced and rounded whisky that would suit local market. The first successful premium whisky launched by Suntory was the Kakubin, launched in an iconic square bottle which is still available today.

5 SINGLE MALTS SINGLE CASKS YAMAZAKI 10YR 4.25 / 8.50 Nose: fruity and rich, vanilla, winter spice and nuts Palate: medium bodied, winter spices, anise and herbal, bitterness from oak YAMAZAKI 12YR 5.50 / Nose: cinnamon, red apple, muscovado sugar, jasmine tea Palate: medium bodied, honeyed, light vanilla, apple, pear, candied orange and cinnamon YAMAZAKI 18YR / Nose: balanced, slightly woody, sherry notes Palate: full bodied, soft tannins, oak, orange slice, spicy, fruit syrups and sweets, extremely well balanced with a long finish YAMAZAKI 25YR / Nose: raisin, strawberry jam, rosemary, tomato purée Palate: full body, very complex, bitter chocolate, cocoa, almond, oak and leather, hint of acidity, dry finish YAMAZAKI PUNCHEON* 7.50 / Nose: sherry notes, blood oranges, hints of red wine Palate: vanilla, black pepper, clean and short citrusy finish YAMAZAKI BOURBON BARREL 7.50 / Nose: perfume aroma with notes of lemon zest, honey, hazelnut, cinnamon and rose petal jelly Palate: creamy & sweet coconut milk, peach melba, tropical with some oak and a nutty finish YAMAZAKI MIZUNARA WOOD ** / Nose: floral, pineapple, green apple, sandalwood, vanilla, nutmeg and cloves Palate: smooth but muscular palate with apple and pineapple fruit, Indian spice, sandalwood and a faint fresh celery YAMAZAKI SHERRY CASK 7.50 / Nose: raisins, sultanas, chocolate as you would expect. Candied orange peel, cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg Palate: spicy notes, nuts and cacao. Very long, dry fruit finish YAMAZAKI 1999, 12 YR* / Tasting notes to be confirmed upon opening *Special Suntory release for the Tokyo Whisky Show, 2012 *Puncheon barrel is a 480L cask that allows less intense maturation **Mizunara Oak is a special oak, native to Japan

6 SUNTORY BLENDED HIBIKI 12YR 5.00 / Nose: slightly peaty, round, filled with dried stone fruit notes Palate: full-bodied, very smooth with a dry and peaty finish HIBIKI 17YR 7.50 / Nose: botanicals and candied fruit, Williams pears in alcohol, cereals Palate: smooth and initially sweet and fruity, chestnuts, a complex blend HIBIKI 21YR / Nose: creamy, notes of Bourbon and oak vanillas, spicy Palate: dry and oaky with hint a of smoke HIBIKI 30YR / Nose: smooth, sweet sherry, heather honey, malt, oak and nutmeg Palate: long and deep, slightly dry and spicy, herry wood notes KAKUBIN / Nose: very floral, light, a bit malt and honey, hint of alcohol Palate: mild, honey, a tad grainy, tad alcohol, sweet honey, tad pepper, rather short but very clean finish SUNTORY SPECIAL RESERVE 1960 S EDITION / Tasting notes to be confirmed upon opening SHINJIRO TORII SUNTORY WHISKY ROYAL / Tasting notes to be confirmed upon opening FOUNDER OF SUNTORY AND THE FATHER OF JAPANESE WHISKY

7 SUNTORY - HAKUSHU DISTILLERY Built in 1973, 50 years after Suntory s first distillery, Hakushu is the world s largest malt distillery in terms of its production. It is located in Hakushu forest, in the city of Hokuto which lies at the foot of the Mount Kaikomagatake. Hakushu, meaning white sandbar got its name from the alluvial, white sand fanned out on the banks of the Ojira and Jingu rivers. The Hukushu forest excellent water together with its climate, were key contributing factors for Suntory s decision to locate their second distillery here. Surrounded by clean and cool air and at 700 metres above sea level, the distillery is twice as high as most of its Scottish and local counterparts and so low-pressure distillation occurs naturally, which helps contribute to the whisky s lighter and distinct West Highland character. When it first opened Hukushu s malted barley came from the Yamazaki distillery, whereas today all the required barley is imported from Scotland and peated to preference there too.

8 SINGLE MALTS SINGLE CASKS HAKUSHU 12YR 5.00 / Nose: hint of dried tropical fruits, apricots, mango and sweet smoke Palate: soft, fruity, creamy, peppery. Pronounced taste of fudge and honey. HAKUSHU 18YR / Nose: botanical, pear drop and fresh peaches Palate: sweet and silky, orchard fruits, some oakiness in the background HAKUSHU 25YR / Nose: exotic tropical fruits, green apples, raisins, olorosso sherry and oak Palate: bittersweet chocolate, tropical fruit, oak vanillas.. Long and lingering finish. HAKUSHU BOURBON BARREl 7.50 / Nose: creamy and sweet, some lemon drizzle cake and black forest honey, a litle coconut milk and buttery toffee Palate: butterscotch and barrel char upfront, hints of smoke, alongside melon and pineapple HAKUSHU SHERRY CASK / Nose: raisins, figs, leather, candied orange slices, demerara rum, nutmeg, sweet tobacco, cloves and some earthiness Palate: juicy, plums, raisins, orange chocolate, coffee, cocoa, nutmeg, pepper, demerara rum, cloves HAKUSHU HEAVILY PEATED 7.50 / Nose: sweet peat, new leather, apricots, vanilla and a whiff of soap Palate: peat, plus tinned peaches in syrup

9 NIKKA - YOICHI DISTILLERY After Masataka Taketsuru s 10 year contract with Suntory was up he realised his dream and set up his own whisky distillery. In 1934 he acquired some land on Hokkaido Island, near Otaru town. Surrounded by mountains and the sea, with a climate not unlike the coastal whisky-producing communities in Scotland, he thought this site to be ideal for his distillery. The first pot still was installed in 1935 and was made specifically to Taketsuru s orders. The first whisky from Yoichi saw life in As with Suntory, since around the 1960 s Nikka have imporated the majority of malted barley needed for production from Scotland. Yoichi distillery s signature is rich, Highland-like, peaty, slightly sulphury and very potent, almost masculine malts.

10 SINGLE MALTS BLENDED YOICHI NO AGE 7.00 / Nose: warming, with bananas and apricots and a touch of vanilla Palate: powerful but sweet with a hint of pine YOICHI 10YR 6.50 / Nose: slightly peaty, tangerines, milk chocolate with a punchy, less matured whisky scent Palate: creamy, fresh, sweet, orange chocolate like YOICHI 12YR 7.50 / Nose: smoky, but not overpowering smoky Palate: walnuts, raisins, almonds, spices, with oily and creamy texture YOICHI 15YR 9.00 / Nose: pears & peaches, Brazil nuts, tobacco and dark chocolate Palate: oily and soft, dried fruits, spear mint, anis, pepper, bitter chocolate COFFEY GRAIN WHISKY 7.50 / Nose: gentle, soft, creamy syrup, a whiff of vanilla and a little wood Palate: green tea with honey, delicate sugars, lemongrass, grapefruit COFFEY GRAIN / Nose: aroma of corn syrup with minty fresh notes, followed by melon Palate: mimicking the aroma notes, presence of mint, corn and melon, clean finish with a hint of mushroom COFFEY MALT / Nose: soft, creamy and chewy, honeycomb, coconut icing, floral tones and Bourbon-like Palate: big on the palate, very sweet, white grape juice, liquid honey, toasty and floral with hints of pineapple YOICHI 20YR / Nose: oriental incense, bergamotws, kumquats, crisp maltiness Palate: intense & zesty, lemon curd, orange marmalade, bergamots. Long finish

11 NIKKA - MIYAGIKYO DISTILLERY Located in a rich green, bamboo-forested stretch of land with a humid and crisp air, surrounded by a towering mountain range, the Miyagikyo distillery is situated approximately 25km to the northwest of Sendai. It was completed in 1969 as Nikka s second distillery and came on stream in the same year. The land is ideal, not only for making mild Lowland-style whiskies, but also for developing, maturing and storing magnificent whiskies. All the malted barley is imported from Scotland, unpeated as well as peated to various levels.

12 SINGLE MALTS PURE MALTS MIYAGIKYO 10YR 6.50 / Nose: orchard fruity, apple and pears, cidery, botanicals, wallnuts and fudge Palate: silky-smooth, fruit repeated, exotic fruits MIYAGIKIO 12YR 7.50 / Nose: toffee, hazel nuts and walnuts, sweet sherry Palate: starts strong but levels away towards a more mellow flavour MIYAGIKYO 15YR 9.00 / Nose: fruity, orangey, nutty and spicy with sweet honey notes, dim smoke, sherry Palate: oak vanillin and soft tannins, black pepper, sherry, a little oily MIYAGIKYO / Nose: full of juicy barley, vanilla cake, marzipan, oranges, pineapple and apple compote Palate: very punchy, honey, yellow plums, apricot jam, lemon zest, fresh oak, plenty of pepper and ginger TAKETSURU 12YR 6.50 / Nose: rather neat and clean Palate: oily and creamy, some sweetness and light fruitiness TAKETSURU 17YR 8.00 / Nose: woody notes, crushed barley and shortbread. Delicate peat Palate: mellow and entwined notes of heather honey and maltiness at different stages TAKETSURU 21YR 9.00 / Nose: sherry and ripe orchard fruits, oak chips, peat smoke and sweet candies Palate: sherry, apples and pearsm, toffee and fudge, long finish Taketsuru whiskies are vattings (see glossary) of Yoichi and Miyagikyo malts and are said to have been Masataka Taketsuru s favourite style whiskies.

13 NIKKA BLENDED ALL MALT 4.00 / 8.00 Nose: bourbony sweetness with some banana, brown sugar and cinnamon Palate: cactus nectar, cacao, barley, cashews, dark chocolate and sherry NIKKA THE BLEND 4.50 / 9.00 Nose: fresh and fruity, grape juice with vanilla and coconut Palate: sweet pears, almonds with a touch of citrus and malted barley BLACK 8YR 5.50 / Nose: malt notes, hints of orange peels, nectarine, marshmallow and exotic spices Palate: cocoa, caramel lattes, malt, lychees, blackcurrants and manuka honey FROM THE BARREL 5.00 / Nose: floral, peat and smoke, peppery, spicy Palate: candied orange segments, vanilla, woody notes like oak dust Info: after marrying malt and grain, the blended whisky is returned to cask for additional maturation, bottling occurs cask by cask, at cask strength and without chill filtration PURE MALT BLACK 6.00 / Nose: fresh Bourbon vanilla scents, pine, resins, smokiness and hint of leather Palate: fruity tones as from acidic citrus to soft peach, sweeter and creamy Info: 8 year old malts from a non-chilled filtered Yoichi MASATAKA TAKETSURU FOUNDER OF NIKKA WHISKY PURE MALT RED 6.00 / Nose: liquid toffee, caramel, sweet, fruity and flowery, citrus and candied fruit Palate: creamy, butterscotch and sweet summer fruits Info: malt from Miyagikyo PURE MALT WHITE 6.00 / Nose: overwhelmingly peaty, leather and honey, grassy, musty notes Palate: oily, sweet, nutty under the peaty blanket Info: malts from Yoichi

14 CHICHIBU DISTILLERY The latest addition to Japanese whisky producers, Chichibu started in March Located only 70km from Tokyo, near the Arakawa River, Chichibu was founded by Ichiro Akuto-san, heir to the old Hanuy distillery. Rough winters and hot and humid summers, provide the perfect maturity to the whiskies produced in Chichibu despite their young age. A small distillery, Chichibu produces small quantities, but the remaining stocks of Hanyu, Kawasaki and Karuisawa hosted on site allow Ichiro Akuto to offer rare and exceptional malt whiskies.

15 ICHIRO S MALT AND CHICHIBU Chichibu, The First / Nose: sandalwood with butter and vanilla sweetness Palate: sweetness taking on a nutty tone with a kick CHICHIBU, 3YR, THE PEATED / Nose: cinnamon, honey, toffee, soft smoke and chocolate Palate: soft smoke, lemons and peppers CHICHIBU, FLOOR MALTED / Nose: very clean, sweet with some fresh barley notes and lots of vanilla Palate: rich, sweet oak, intensely spicy from mid-palate ICHIRO S MALT, DOUBLE DISTILLERIES / Nose: sweet and rounded, quite biscuity with a fruity hint of honeysuckle and apple Palate: starts spicy (nutmeg, cinnamon, a little pepper), followed by a wave of malty notes ICHIRO S MALT, MALT & GRAIN 7.00 / Nose: peach and dried apricot, sweet butterscotch, vanilla cream and citrus zest Palate: toffee first and foremost with notes of barley malt, gingerbread and tropical fruits ICHIRO S MALT, MIZUNARA WOOD / Nose: honey, sweet and light citrus, hints of grapefruit and sugar Palate: rich, spice, fruity, tangy, hints of honey and toffee apples

16 KARUIZAWA Karuizawa is a popular and idyllic mountain resort town located at the foot of Mount Asama in the eastern region of Nagano Prefecture. Since 1955 the village has been the home of a charming whisky distillery with ivy-covered warehouses. Karuizawa Distillery has always imported its malted barley from Scotland, and was probably the first Japanese distillery to do so. The decrease in local whisky consumption forced Mercian Company (the owner) to close in 2001, however in 2011, UK based Number One Drinks Company bought the remaining stock of the Karuizawa, releasing special editions of this soon to be finished treasure.

17 SINGLE MALTS BLENDED KARUIZAWA 1981 FIRST FILL SHERRY CASK / Nose: dried fruit notes, light, hint of chocolate, cherry, raisins and dried plums Palate: very dry, liquid smoke at first, opens up after a while with cherry and dark chocolate taking over, long fading finish KARUIZAWA 1982 CASK # / Nose: toffee and vanilla, peach jam, tinned pineapples, lemonade, honey and fruit candy, hints of vanilla cake and floral notes too Palate: light at first with dry oak notes, honey and hint of green tea, sweet malty notes, a little vanilla sweetness, leather and ginger with a medium long finish SPIRIT OF ASAMA, 48% ABV 6.00 / Nose: brown sugar, fruit cake, dried and glacé cherries, hints of sweet port and polished leather Palate: leather, sweet raisins, dark chocolate, sour fruit with tannic apple skins, tea and damp, smoky wood SPIRIT OF ASAMA, 55% ABV 7.00 / Nose: old polished wood, dried mixed fruit, moist tobacco, dry oloroso Palate: rich and sweet, hints of black liquorice, eccles cake, old driftwood, muddy forest floors, herbal with green leafy edges KARUIZAWA 1983 NOH, 28YR / Nose: big, coffee and dark chocolate, backed quickly by black cherry, a hint of mint and some meaty tones, spicy with nutty sweetness Palate: huge hit of red summer fruits with autumnal bonfire elements and some treacle toffee, peat with dry wood notes cutting through KARUIZAWA 1984 SHERRY CASK # / Nose: malty, digestive biscuits, an earthy note and dried fruit with old leather. Palate: crisp, fizzy, big and full bodied, toffee sweetness, honey, cherry chocolate and slight hint of peat. Dry, long and beautiful finish KARUIZAWA 1990 SHERRY CASK # / Nose: floral, oaky and grassy, slight hints of peat with sweet vanilla notes Palate: full bodied, dry at beginning but fruity notes (raisins, figs and dry plums) with a long and dry finish

18 HANYU Hanyu distillery was founded in 1941 by Akuto family, initially as a sake brewery and Shochu distillery, 31 miles from Chichibu. In 1980, serious attempts were begun to produce a Scotch-style malt whisky. This lasted until 2000 when the whisky business finished due to weakened profitability. The distillery equipment was dismantled and sold to Ichiro Akuto (Chichibu) in The house style was similar to Speyside with distinct sherry markers and a light stroke of burning peat.

19 SINGLE MALTS HANYU 15YR / Nose: perfumed woods, hints of salt caramel, nutty, dried apricot and candied orange peel Palate: creamy caramel, cigar boxes, hints of allspice and potpourri and pipe tobacco HANYU 2000, THE FINAL VINTAGE / Nose: sandalwood, creme caramel, oak, nectarines, glazed orange slices, candied nuts Palate: sweet and smooth, all spice, oak, toffee and a hint of pipe tobacco, Asian incense and sandlewood HANYU 2000, THE WHISKY TALK / Nose: honeydew melons, cherry blossoms, fragrant wood, new leather, delicate but expressive Palate: white peaches, apricots, fragrant wood, sweet spices and cherry blossoms

20 WHITE OAK This distillery, predating Suntory and Nikka is located near Seto Inland Sea. A licence was granted in 1888 to distil alcohol, starting with Shochu. In 1919 the production of barley-based alcohol left the pot stils. Whisky production has occurred on the premises since. The White Oak survived difficult years at a cost and as a micro-distillery produces extremely limited amount of single malts. AKASHI BLENDED 6.00 / Nose: jam sponge cake, golden syrup and a suggestion of something metallic Palate: like biting into that moist sponge cake and having it melt in your mouth, a woodiness about it too. A faintest bitterness, with lots of white pepper to finish with little washes of sweetness

21 WHISKY GLOSSARY WHISKY The name is an English corruption of the ancient name for spirits "water of life" - which in Scottish and Irish Gaelic is "uisge beatha" or "usquebaugh" and sounded to the English ear like "uishgi" and hence "whisky". AMERICAN OAK Also known as White Oak or by the binomen Quercus Alba, American oak is widely used in whisky cooperage. American Oak has a high vanillin content. ANGEL'S SHARE (ALSO 'PART DES ANGES') As the whisky ages a small percentage of alcohol evaporates, thus lowering the spirit's abv. BARREL A large wooden vessel used to store maturing spirit. In the whisky world these must be made from Oak. They are built by coopers and are of varying sizes. A standard whisky barrel has a capacity of approximately 40 gallons (180 litres). The larger the barrel, the less wood contact with the spirit. So, a smaller barrel, in theory, can mature whisky faster. BLENDED WHISKY Malt whisky combined with grain whisky. By law there must be a minimum of 40% malt whisky. CHILL-FILTRATION A method of filtering whisky employed to remove residue and a cloudiness which appears when the spirit reaches lower temperatures. FEINTS (AKA HEADS, TAILS OR AFTERSHOTS) The unusable end of a distillation run, unpotable even to the most hardened drinker. GRAIN WHISKY Indicates by contrast that the raw material is unmalted barley, wheat or maize produced as a continuous process in a column still. MALT WHISKY This indicates that the raw material is barley malt, by itself fermented with yeast and distilled in a pot still. This produced a far superior whisky to the common grain whisky found in blends. MATURATION The ageing process of whisky. Whisky can only be aged within an oak cask, it is widely believed that whisky does not age in the bottle. OAK The variety of wood used as a material for building barrels, as well as a number of other items used during the production of whisky. Oak is from the genus Quercus and there are roughly 400 species. PEAT A dark, partially decayed organic matter formed in the wetlands. It is formed when full decay is arrested by acidic conditions, and when oxygen is not present. Over thousands of years of decomposition it becomes a flammable substance, traditionally used to fire the malted barley kilns. Its flavour is very intense and is oft associated with tar, bitumen and medicinal notes and due to the high incidence in the locality. PEATED MALT Malted barley which retains a strong peaty-character after it is kilned over peat fires. POT STILL A traditional still used to distil single malt whisky, among other varieties. Pot Stills are almost exclusively made of copper and are based upon the alembic still, created around the eighth century AD by the Arabian alchemist Jabi ibn Hayyan. PURE MALT A term that usually refers to Blended Malt Whisky. Nikka released a 'Pure Malt' range. UNPEATED MALT Malted Barley that has been kilned over fires not fuelled by peat, thus with very little or no phenolic content. VATTING A now disused term for the blending of malt whisky with that from other distilleries without the addition of grain whisky, or vice versa. WASH Fermented Wort, a sort of beer of about 7 to 8% abv. WORT The liquid drawn from the Mash Tun after the mashing process is complete. Present now here are the sugars which will later be fermented with the addition of yeast. YEAST (aka Barm) A micro organism from the Fungi kingdom. Yeast is used in the fermentation process for it feeds on sugar and produces carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol.

22 At Bam-Bou, Bar Manager Ladislav Piljar is championing Japanese whisky and has slowly but surely built up an impressive collection from distilleries like Miyagikyo, Hanyu, Yoichi, Hakushu, Yamazaki, White Oak and Chichibu. Introducing new customers to Japanese whisky is a joy; says Lad most are pleasantly surprised by the balance of flavours and quality of the product. With over 60 whiskies on The Red Bar s new Japanese whisky menu, included are some rare silent distillery expressions, special editions and the latest releases. Join us at The Red Bar, Monday to Saturday, from 5.30pm to 1.00am 1 Percy Street London W1T 1DB Find us on Facebook at Find us on Twitter at

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