The Japanese people are mad for their whisky, and the Suntory company are all to happy to oblige them. No whisky better exemplifies Japanese whisky than the Yamazaki 12 year old.
Yamazaki 12 is a single malt whisky, meaning that it comes from a single distillery using a malted grain. It is not Scotch whisky, as it is not made in Scotland, but is similar in all other aspects. Yamazaki should know about whisky, because they were the first single malt distillery outside of Scotland.
The nose of the Yamazaki 12 is reminiscent of a Speyside Scotch whisky. Very floral, with vanilla and fruity flavors. It’s not a powerful nose by any means.
To taste, the Yamazaki 12 is exceedingly smooth. It has a warm and full-bodied mouth feel with a prominent malt and cereal notes. It’s quite spicy, full of ginger and cinnamon flavor and a mild (not unpleasant) bitterness comparable to orange rind. It’s mildly to moderately sherried, too. This whisky is interesting in that it tastes exactly like I would expect it to based on color. I usually hate color as an indicator of what a whisky should taste like, but all of the golden/amber colored ingredients such as cinnamon, oak, malt, orange and toffee are there. It’s a great example of how the eyes influence the taste buds and how that can be used in a positive way.
The downside of this whisky, which can also be an upside, is just how smooth it is. Once you get over the undeniably wonderful mouth feel and make your way through the spice and grainy flavors, there’s not a great deal more to find. Some people like to have strange flavors jump out at them from the back right corner of their mouth if they give the whisky enough time, but you won’t find that with this whisky. I think the Yamazaki 12 is an almost unanimously enjoyable whisky, but would rarely be loved among whisky fanatics. If it was a bit cheaper I’m sure more people could be convinced to buy it.
Yamazaki 12 Information
- Type: 12 year old single malt whisky
- Region: Japan
- ABV: 43%
- Price guide: 45 British Pounds, 50 USD