Hakushu 12 Years SMW
So with the Yamazaki 12 year’s whisky flying off the shelves, I naturally looked for an alternative and in particular at its northern sibling the Hakushu 12 Years old. Whilst the Yamzaki is of a brown autumn bottle the Hakushu is of a green forest spring bottle. The Hakushu distillery is the second biggest distillery by Suntory, it is located in the northern forest of Japan near Mount Kaikoma (Southern Alps) and in the Yamanashi Prefecture.
Hakushu Distillery in it's surroundings
The distillery in 2013, went through a billion yen expansion, by adding, wash spirit stills and two pairs of pot stills boosting their capacity to approx 4,000,000 litres. It has a total of 16 stills putting this into the big distillery category. A bit of trivia,the in the 1980's the Hakushu distillery was considered one of the largest distilleries in the world with 36 stills with an estimated 30 million litres capacity a year.
So is the Hakushu Distillery once again on the rise?
The range consists of a NAS Distillers Reserve, 12 Years,18 Years a 25 years with some limited special releases.
Tasting notes from Hakushu:
NOSE: Basil, pine needle, green apple
PALATE: Sweet pear, mint, kiwi
FINISH: Green tea, subtle smoke
ABV: 43.5%
My own personal tasting notes are light champagne in colour, floral, sweet nosing with “refreshing” but spicy palate and a lingering and a very very subtle smoky finish.
It’s definitely different it adds a fruity, forest like feel and taste to the whisky which I have never tasted from another whisky before. It’s definitely interesting and different from the Yamazaki 12 years.
I have had the pleasure of trying the 18 year old Hakushu whisky and I must say that is one of my favourite whiskies and the 12 year old Hakushu to me is missing roughly say 6 years more of maturation, that extra depth and character to be a great whisky. It’s definitely a good whisky and has won allot of recognized awards as well!
How about the price? Like other Japanese whiskies in Australia, it’s very popular right now and it’s also hard to find, but it does come back in stock and the price is still around $120 AUD which is still $30 cheaper than the Yamazaki 12 years old. At this price point its right up there for a 12 years old, but for the unique taste of this whisky I think it’s worth the price and to also give you a sample on what the 18 years old Hakushu could be like! I think this is the right price of this whisky. A definite must try for any Japanese whisky fan.
Just a final note if you are ever in Japan I think the Hakashu distillery is worth the visit as other than the scenic views and great whisky there is also a bird sanctuary located on site! Let just hope that isn’t the secret to the unique taste!
Taste: 8.2
Price: $$
Cost per shot: $5.14
Rarity: Hard to find, but does get restocked!