Hakushu 18 Year Old in the earlier 750mL bottle for the US market, at 43% (86 proof). The long ageing gives Hakushu's fresh forest style more ripe fruit and a softer, more integrated smoke.
About This Whisky
This is the older US presentation of Hakushu 18, in 750mL as American rules then required, from before Suntory tightened supplies of its age-stated malts. It is a vatting of Hakushu malts at least 18 years old. Suntory does not list the cask mix, though tasters often note both American oak and sherry cask character, with some finding Mizunara spice.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Ripe pear, peach and honey with dried mint, pine and a soft waft of smoke.
- Palate: Silky and rounded, with mango, quince, vanilla and gentle oak spice, cooled by menthol.
- Finish: Long and elegant, drying slowly to herbs, tea leaf and light smoke.
Serving & Food
Best around 18 to 20°C in a crystal nosing glass, neat or with a drop of water. With food, keep it gentle: roast duck breast with plum sauce, grilled king oyster mushrooms, or a few squares of milk chocolate.
How to Enjoy
Suited to a drinker moving up from Hakushu 12, or to a collector of pre-shortage US bottlings.
Product Details
Producer: House of Suntory
Distillery: Hakushu
Country: Japan
Region: Yamanashi Prefecture
Style: Japanese single malt whisky
Age Statement: 18 years old
ABV: 43%
Proof: 86
Volume: 750mL
Presentation: US old release
About the Distillery
The warehouses at Hakushu hold a wide range of cask types. Suntory's blenders work with six main kinds of cask, from American oak barrels and hogsheads to sherry butts and Japanese Mizunara oak, and choose among them at vatting.
Ageing conditions matter as much as the wood. At around 700 metres, Hakushu has cool summers by Japanese standards and cold winters, and the forest keeps humidity high. Whisky there matures more slowly than at lowland Yamazaki, which is one reason an 18-year-old Hakushu can still taste fresh. Oak shows up as polish and spice rather than heavy tannin.