Hanyu Distillery Noh Series 21 Years Old Cask 9306 55.6% 1988

Professionele reviews

Serge Valentin (90)

Nose: more or less the same profile as the 1990’s but with less fruity notes and more flinty tones, as well as a surprisingly medicinal profile. Antiseptic, camphor… There’s also a lot of bacon and gunpowder, really a lot! And black truffles. With water: totally extreme gunpowder and struck matches. Of course you have to like that but all I can tell you is that there’s no single note of rotten eggs or cooked cabbage/asparagus. Do what you want out of this ;-).

Mouth (neat): on par, starting boldly, on bacon, smoked ham and liquorice. I don’t know where this huge smokiness does comes from but it’s really impressive. Also toasted bread, black olives and prunes. It’s very unusual but delicious. Extremely concentrated. With water: infused smoke. I’ve heard there are machines now that can smoke just anything, they look like some kind of hairdryer. They must have used that on this one.

Finish: long, on honey-coated bacon. I’m sure you see what I mean.

Comments: an extreme baby, and probably a very controversial dram. Let’s only hope we’ll always have controversial whiskies, not only middle-of-the-roadish vanilla-infused young spirits

BOW (91)