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Suntory Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky 12yr 750mL

A Journey of Justice: Part 3

Dear Booze Reviewers,

I’ve once again found it within my power to postmark a message to you.  Though my travels have been long and arduous I have once again made it to civilization.  I appear to be somewhere in the far east.  As you can imagine I was at first quite distraught as to where I found myself for this is not the land of Whiskey, being the beverage I sought after.  Here there is only sake, souju, and rice beer.  All great drinks in their own right, but none close to my prized drink: Scotch.  However, fate saw fit to prove this first impression wrong.  It wasn’t long before I stumbled upon and  old building tucked away in the mountains.  Even from a distance I knew that this was no ordinary building, in fact it was my favorite sort of building: a distillery.

Eventually using my wit and pack full of seemingly useless items, I managed not only to ascertain that this building was indeed a facility for distilling single malt whiskies, but also to procure a bottle of their single malt.  I knew after taking the first sip that I had not become lost in my travels, no.  It was fate’s drunken hand that had guided me here.  The whisky had a rich smoky taste that pulled me in right from the beginning.  After finding some ice (don’t ask me how) I poured myself a glass and set to my duties.

yamazaki

The bottle itself was fairly adorning yet they did give themselves their due:

What they say: “The oldest distillery in Japan”

Yeah, that’s all they said.  Though after trying the whisky I did see why this distillery had survived and flourished for so long in a country where it was not a native beverage.  Now it faced another challenge however, surviving our metrics:

 

Taste: 8 – God damn that’s good.

Aftertaste: 6.5 – It’s pleasant, but it’s nearly nonexistent.

Burn/Smoothness: 7.5 – Smooth, with a nice warm feeling.

Aroma: 6.5 – The smell here is subtle, yet pleasant. It’s nice but it’s a weak smell.

Honesty: 8.5 – Great looking bottle, virtually no wank (though having never heard of a whisky distillery in Japan – oldest isn’t that impressive.) Combine this with the really strong taste and Yamazaki is a single malt that deserves praise.

Mixability: w/rocks: 7.5 – Smooth as hell, and smoky as well. Doesn’t last as long as long as I’d like, but that doesn’t take too much away from it.

Value: 6 – It is in that price range where you expect 40-45 bucks and it costs just that.

Google Shop Average: $43

Website: http://www.suntory.com/yamazaki/

 

Reviewer Score

Justice: 7.5

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Metric Score: 50.50/70 |+| Metric Average: 7.21

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Final Thoughts: “Very solid single malt.  A bit pricy but I’d get it again.”

As I strode away from the hidden palace of my new found whisky, I stared up into the sunset thinking about where my adventures would take me next.  It seemed an appropriate way to end my adventures for the day.  Unfortunately it blinded me and I tripped over a rock and went tumbling down a steep hill nearby.  As luck would have it I crashed through the door to a local post office.  I will be sending this letter later today when I finish repairing their drywall.  Unfortunately as I have no idea where I am, I cannot tell when this letter will reach you.

Until my next correspondence, good night and good booze.

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