Exclusively Yamazaki

Friend and brother JE was in Osaka for a holiday and managed to persuade his missus to go visit Yamazaki. He graciously brought back bottles. One, the 2017 Yamazaki Limited Edition, and two, the Yamazaki distillery exclusive bottling. The LE comes in a 700ml bottle, while the distillery exclusive is in a 300ml one. Such consideration to travellers' duty free allowance...or a nefarious marketing ploy to get people to buy more - it probably is the same thing.

First up, the Yamazaki 2017 Limited Edition (43% abv)

Nose - A lot of umeshu up front. The plum liquor is followed by some faint spices, some raisins, a bit of vanilla. Some grassy scent, oak...I've seen reviews that describe this as a deep nose - can't say I smell the depth here. Maybe my nose is off, but this is good, not great.

Palate - Some fruity profiles...mango? Plum liquor getting in the way of everything. With some time, oak comes out, spices too. I guess this might be what you call...delicate, if not for the umeshu. Some hints of flowers, a bit of honey...but really, that plum liquor. Good, but somewhat off-balance.

Finish - tannic, woody, spicy. Some honey sweetness sticks around, but not a long finish, I think.

Overall - There's supposedly some 20 year old Yamazaki in here - they maybe should have left it alone as a super premium once-off bottling. This Limited Edition was brought back by JE from the distillery itself, where this bottle was sold for about SGD100. Which is about the right price. Retailers in Singapore are selling it for $400 though. That's a rip-off.

Yamazaki Distillery Exclusive

Nose - Ok, if you ever wondered what Yamazaki smells like without the powerful sherry influence in the 12 and the 18, this is it. Mangoes, malty porridge, a bit of baked bread. There's some coconut in this, and a touch of eucalyptus.

Palate - More of the same on the nose. I like this style of Yamazaki! More oak and tropical fruits than the Limited Edition. Certainly younger though.

Finish - short, clean.

Overall - This is naked, no frills Yamazaki. Good, and makes for a welcome change to the usual Yamazaki. Rougher, but somehow, I think I can grow to like this. It works great in a highball, by the way.

Thanks JE for the generosity!