Shizuoka Contact S 55.5% NV

Professional reviews

BOW (88)

The Shizuoka Distillery is located in the wooded hills west of the town of Shizuoka. And that city is about 1.5 hours by fast Shinkansen train, south of the center of Tokyo. Taiko Nakamura was inspired during a trip to distilleries in Scotland, and decided to build his own distillery near his hometown of Shizuoka. His wife Mika imports Scotch whisky with her company Gaia-flow. So they were already in buisness with the drink.
As an engineer, Taiko had his own installation company and he has used that knowledge to build a distillery that is very traditional on the one hand, and very modern on the other. As you walk through this beautifully situated distillery, you will notice the beautiful wooden washbacks, as well as the very modern return valves and sight glasses.
For the connoisseurs of Japanese whiskies, the name Karuizawa has almost a mythical meaning. The stills from this vanished distillery were part of Taiko Nakamura's plans when he designed the Shizuoka Distillery. Previously, he had acquired these stills at an auction. Unfortunately, however, the karuizawa stills were too bad to use, except for one.
The Shizuoka Distillery now has 2 stills that were made at Forsyth's in Scotland and 1 still that previously served at Karuizawa a long time ago.
The "old" Karuizawa still in is once again in production.
But the 2 "Scottish" stills are also special to say the least. Especially the “Wash Still” can be described as such. This is in fact heated directly with a wood fire in the boiler under the still. All day long, an employee is stoking the fire by adding logs to the fire. Something that doesn’t happen anymore, but gives the whisky a special character. Contact S: In other words, a combination of the distillates from the Karuizawa still and the wood-fired “Wood” still ultimately results in the Shizuoka Single Malt.
The nose of this Contact S is clearly a combination of both characters from the different stills. The spicy scents are quenched by the vanilla notes, before the lilacs and other flowers change into Créme-Brûlée combined with pepper, smoldering oak and white fruit.

The same theme follows on the tongue, with that combination of vanilla and lychees with pine needles, white herbs, smoking oak and a pinch of pepper. A delicious combination in which the spicy side keeps the tongue the longest. A very special introduction.

OTHER (87)

Words Of Whisky:
I prefer the Prologue K over the Shizuoka Contact S, but not by much. The Prologue K is a little richer and darker, while the Contact S is more vibrant
Nose
Highlighted by light, gentle wood smoke with earthy notes, but also sweet caramel, grilled mangoes and stewed apples. I also get nectarines and peaches from the Shizuoka Contact S, as well as some clever farmy notes and a touch of fennel.
Taste
Great oily mouthfeel. A peppery arrival with creamy vanilla, earthy smoke and sandal wood, as well as tobacco. Water brings out whispers of gingerbread, smoked malt and sweet dulce de leche. There are whispers of orange peel and lychees, but it's certainly not as fruity as the nose.
Finish
More of the above and pretty long too.