Hakushu 12 Year Old Peated Japanese Single Malt Whisky

Everybody is all over Yamazaki, but Hakushu is for me the real gem in the Suntory portfolio. While Yama takes all the glory, Hakushu quietly produces some of Japan's most delicious whisky. Some people look at our description and are worried that the "peat" will be too much. This is in fact a lightly peated product distilled on Hakushu's narrow necked stills. The resulting spirit is full of vibrant complexity and the peated is so perfectly integrate, few would pick it out as the main attraction. Instead expect a gorgeous nose of wet forest floor, candied stone fruit, citrus oils, clove oil, fresh herbs, jasmine flower, green tea, sweet malt and tobacco leaf. On the palate, the freshness and vibrancy is paramount offering sweet almost candied malty character tempered with a zesty citrus note and an oily texture. The peat pops up on the finish in a lovely balancing way. This is for me the better of the two Suntory flagship single malts and certainly the one I'd hand first to any expert or regular drinker of scotch who might be Suntory curious.