Background:
My family and I had been living in San Antonio, TX for about three months after moving down from Maryland. The evening was still young and so as I’m headed home from the gym… I decide to stop at the Total Wine up Highway 35 in a general area called “The Rim”.
Now, if you know me… you know that I have a hot/cold attitude towards Total Wine.
It’s not a dig. I love Total Wine… sometimes. When they’re good, they’re great. You can walk right in, find some gems and then buy them at retail price.
At other times, you get one of two choices: Buy a boring 86 proof whiskey that you could have gotten anywhere else or buy a 30yr old single malt that will require you to take out a second mortgage on your home.
To add to my pessimism as I walk in, I am only a day removed from my first visit to a large Specs liquor store…. which for any whisky enthusiast that has been to one of the bigger ones, knows the feeling of being a kid in a candy store again.
Rarely am I overwhelmed by the amount of exciting whiskies sitting on the shelf of a store, but at Specs, I was surrounded by interesting bottles left, right, up and down the aisles. I bought a couple of truly incredible expressions that I’m sure will end up in a review sooner or later.
So, I accept the possibility that this will be yet another trip to Total Wine where I walk out with nothing and completely waste my time.
…then I walk in…
…and boy was I surprised.
So, I basically had to take back all of the bad things that I’ve ever said about Total Wine as a corporation. Clearly, how good (or how terrible) your Total Wine is depends on it’s location and its whiskey curators.
But believe it or not, I didn’t come today to buy scotch. I was actually in search of a new-to-me Japanese Single Malt, since I had been continually asked about Japanese whiskies on my last few consultations. I needed something new and unique (not your standard Yoichi single malt or Hibiki Harmony blend), but I also needed something that was classically Japanese… and I needed it to be really good so that I could go acquire a few cases for distribution.
and that is exactly what I found…
Now, if you are familiar with the original non-peated Miyagikyo single malt (named after one of Nikka’s two famed distilleries) then you probably noticed that this bottle looks a little bit different from that one even before noticing that is says “Peated” in bold letters. I certainly did.
It’s lighter in color and it boasts a proof that is six points higher (48% ABV) than the standard Miyagikyo Single Malt (45%ABV).
Given that I LOVE the standard offering (It also has one of the highest ratings of any bottle in my blind tasting whiskey group)
and I LOVE peat…
I didn’t hesitate to call the store clerk to open the glass and to secure me this golden liquid.
It checked every box that I was looking for: A Japanese classic, and yet…unique.
The Review
Age: NAS
ABV: 48% (96 proof)
Appearance: Amber, golden hue. Expecting a quintessential light bodied Japanese malt from the viscosity.
Nose: Wow. Japanese malts never cease to amaze on the nose. Usual floral notes, but almost lowlands like… pineapple, corn syrup, this is so fun to nose. I need a cologne made of this.
Palate: medium-light body, cinnamon, nutmeg, white chocolate, very subtle peat.
Finish: medium length, butterscotch, roasted cashews, sea salt… savory and sweet! Delicious!
Rating: 8.25/10
Comments: If you love Japanese Single Malts, and you love peat… then you will adore this expression.
I would warn you peat monsters out there that the peat on this is quite subtle… The Japanese are known for their preference of the subtle… and the peat concentration on this one is consistent with that cultural preference.
I think that this is actually a very approachable whiskey for those who are a little more averse to peat, but willing to experiment.
