Hakushu – 12 Year Old (70cl, 43%)

Hakushu 12 Year Old is a Japanese single malt from Hakushu, the sister distillery to Yamazaki within the Suntory group. It is a distillery bottling in a 70cl bottle at 43% ABV. The 12-year-old was just becoming known in Europe in the early 2010s when the Japanese whisky shortage began, and it then disappeared from European shelves for a time. The flavours are grassy and meadowy and lightly peated, with honeyed notes and exotic fruit, each one distinct yet well integrated.