It’s very sad watching the state of affairs in Japan post the big earthquake. Being a fan of Yamazaki (and having tasted and reviewed at least a few of their core range drams before) i would like to dedicate this post to the proud people of japan, fighting the terrible situation over there.
Normally when you think of Yamazaki, you do not think about big peat (or peat at all), but this baby is a totally different story,and this time “heavily peated” indeed means HEAVILY!
The cask of Yamazaki 1993 – 2008 , 15 year old , single cask , 62% ABV, Heavily Peated
Nose: Oodles of peat, not very medicinal, but shouting! “This is Peat!”, i never thought I’d try such a heavily peated nose of a Yamazaki. It’s insanely peated. Some leather notes and earthy feel to it. For the Peat heads, it’s a great one. The 62% is well felt on the nose, and it’s quite alcoholic. some water is needed to tame this beast. With water I am getting someYlang Ylang and barely under the peat cover.
Palate: Spicy entrance, with oily texture, quite mouth coating in it’s own special way. The peat avalanche is coming, with an enormous amount of peat. This is a powerful dram , with or without water. it’s a monster.
Finish : Pepper,Chilly, Peat, Spice. Ouch!
What a dram this is one hell of an experience. sensory, mental. Japan, we’re with you in those hard moments.
Score : 90/100
Special thanks to my good NL friend SDHK for the sample!