Japaneasy Rider - Karuizawa and Chichibu whisky hits the UK again

For some reason I still get excited at foreign crisps.

"What on earth are you on about, Harrison?" I hear you cry. 

Well, whenever I'm abroad I like to try out the unusual crisp brands and flavours which are often unique to that part of the world. Returning from a recent road trip to Maltstock in the Netherlands, both our car and its passengers were in need of refuelling so we stopped at a petrol station on the French / Belgium boarder to load up on carbs. Us, not the car. That had petrol put in to it. Obviously.

The forecourt shop was like an adventure playground of snacks; sweets with weird names, packets of crisps with odd cartoon characters on them and, best of all for a motorway petrol station... discount beer! Who sells beer to drivers? Or passengers even. Anyway, needless to say the car was overflowing with wonderful and unusual items for our drive back to Calais.

The crisp, along with the sweet and the chocolate bar, is product which is made all over the world, so it shouldn't be as exciting as it is, when we see versions from other countries when travelling. But somehow, it really is exciting.

The same rings true for me and Japanese whisky. The Japanese have every right to make single malts and blends. They have an excellent back story with the almost soap opera style tales of Shinjiro Torii and Masataka Taketsuru, a wonderfully rich environment in which to mature their spirit and an attention to detail which would leave Professor Brian Cox dumbfounded. But yet, whenever I see a new product from a Japanese producer, I'm as excited as a my childhood-self in a foreign sweetshop (Hollywood chewing gum anyone?).

And so it was that with great joy we learnt that those wonderful people at Number One Drinks were to be releasing some new Japanese whiskies in to the UK (and wider) markets.

First up was a new release from Chichibu, their 'The Floor Malted' edition which will have around 8,800 bottles with somewhere in the region of 3,500 for export. This whisky is wonderfully light and delicate (even at 50.5% abv) and comes with aromas of toasted pine nuts, clear apple juice and lemon meringue pie while the palate gives excellent lemon and lime zest underpinned with an earthy tone. Very well constructed and worth a look if you like a lighter style of whisky.

Not usually known for being subtle, the now dearly departed distillery of Karuizawa was up next with four, yes four, interesting releases on of which is a single cask from 1960, but more on that at a later date.

The three main releases which are going to be hitting your local stores soon (if you're in the UK) are a 1984 single cask, a 1983 single cask and a no age statement malt. As you would expect from Karuizawa, the two single casks are heavily sherried monsters of undoubted quality. Our pick was the 1983, which will see just 120 bottles make their way to The Whisky Exchange in the UK.

Karuizawa - 1983 - Cask #7576 - Noh Edition - 564 bottles worldwide - 57.2% abv

Nose: Coffee and dark chocolate rise with energy from the glass, backed quickly by black cherry, a hint of mint and some meaty tones. Well brewed black tea provides some spices and dryness to the aroma and pecan pie gives nutty sweetness.

Palate: The palate has a huge hit of highly reduced red summer fruits, with autumnal bonfire elements and some treacle toffee.

Finish: The finish is hints of pulled pork and BBQ beef brisket but with some sweetness to boot.

Overall: Just simply super. To the point where I have a bottle on order. Gets my vote and, more importantly, my money!

Interestingly, there will be a new entery level price whisky from Karuizawa in the very near future. The Spirit of Asama is a new vatting of Karuizawa that will be availiable in different markets, at different strengths and with slightly different falvour profiles. Already availiable in France and Sweden, the UK version (which looks stunning) will be sold via The Whisky Exchange and will set you back around £40 or so. We have tried the French version (Raspberry jam with hints of kiwi and gooseberry fool) and can attest that it is a much lighter style of Karuizawa than one would normally be used to, but we will wait for provide full tasting notes on the UK version when that hits the shops.

With These Whiskies, You Are Spoiling Us...

Last week was a stonking week for Caskstrength. In the run up to Christmas, we seem to be jam-packed with stuff to do, including tastings, new launches and our very own BiG Award, which saw Black Bull 40 year old triumph as this year's overall winner.

On the tastings front, we've done some weird and wonderful themed tastings in a wide variety of places, including nightclubs on Burns' Night, stag do's, opening up for famous bands on stage and a variety of incredible countries including Japan, Lithuania, Germany and bizarrely on a beach in the Seychelles.

Last week however was perhaps our proudest moment, when we were asked by the British Japanese Parliamentary Group to host a Japanese whisky tasting at the House Of Commons. The event was attended by around 50 various MPs, Peers, Lords and dignitaries from both Japanese and UK industry, as well as the special guest of honour, the Japanese Ambassador to the UK, Mr Keiichi Hayashi.

Caskstrength meet the Japanese Ambassaor

So no pressure at all then...

Now, being that this was an Ambassador's reception, one thing immediately came to mind in how to inject a bit of extra fun into the proceedings. The answer lay in our favourite tasty, gold foil covered confectionary - Ferrero Rocher. According to the various TV adverts throughout the 90's, they were the quintessential party treat at any reception attended by an Ambassador, so we popped along to Morrison's and found they had an offer on boxes of 16!! Hooray.

So with around 90 Rochers purchased, we proceeded to work out a cunning way to infuse them with the flavour and aroma of one of our favourite Japanese whiskies, Hakushu Bourbon Barrel. And by jingo, it worked. The whisky's wonderfully smooth, fruity, yet oaky, nutty flavour paired perfectly with the little golden gems. Feeling contented, we set off to the tasting, whiskies, glasses and chocolates in hand.

Getting into the House Of Commons is quite a laborious process and I think the sight of Joel and I, complete with 2 suitcases full of whisky and glassware (and 90 Ferrero Rocher) was perhaps the final straw for the security guards, but after some good natured banter, we were ushered through the hallowed doors and into the glorious lobby. As London's buildings go, the Palace Of Westminster really is a truly amazing place and if you happened to meet up with a fly on the wall there, one can imagine the incredible meetings, stories and conversations it could tell you about over a whisky.

The Commons and Lords are no strangers to whisky. A couple of years ago, Speaker Martin lent his name to the House Of Commons single malt (a re-bottling of The Macallan) and on a previous visit, I also picked up a bottle of House Of Lords blended whisky, pictured below.

Our tasting was to be accompanied by an array of sushi dishes, lovingly put together by Emma Reynolds and her team of chefs at the highly regarded collection of Japanese restaurants, Tsuru.

To begin with, a refreshing Mizuwari made using Nikka From The Barrel was served with some great yellow fin tuna nigiri, followed by pairings of Yamazaki 10yo and chicken Teriyaki, Hibiki 12yo and Japanese vegetable and pickle Maki rolls, Nikka All Malt with some melt-in-the -mouth Scottish salmon. The dessert was an age old classic pairing - Yamazaki 18yo, with chocolate brownies. How could anyone resist?

Well, no one did resist and after a spirited speech by Ambassador Hayashi, it was over to yours truly to lead the assembled group through the history of Japanese whisky and the wonderfully unique range of flavours and aromas that can be discovered. Iceballs and three-pronged ice picks were discussed, as well as the fabled intricacies of making a perfect Mizuwari, stirring the drink precisely 13 and a half times to achieve the perfect dilution. The tasting went down a storm (we weren't sent off to Traitor's Gate anyway) and the vibe around Japanese whisky was most definitely raised a notch.

As well as the Rochers, we had another masterstroke up our sleeve. Our friends at Suntory had rather generously donated us a bottle of Yamazaki 1984 as the final 'off the menu' surprise whisky, which turned out to be the icing on the cake. Now very tricky to find, this masterpiece of whisky making ensured that the collective of esteemed imbibers went away happy into the night.

Yamazaki - 1984 Vintage - 48%

Nose: Intensely rich, with a brilliant balancing act between plump dried fruits, incense sticks, cigar box spices and sherry. The oak is present, but not drying in the slightest. It is perhaps one of the most direct noses we've ever encountered- like a really well reduced, spicy sauce. Wonderful stuff.

Palate: The intense spice continues to the palate, with more of the plump raisins, lemon zest, some cedar/ tobacco spice, coupled with lashings of vanilla, cinnamon and clove notes.

Finish: Rich and full-bodied, this beast of a whisky firmly leaves its mark on the palate. This is definitely a whisky to try last, as very few whiskies will measure up once you've had a few sips.

Overall: Sensational whisky making. The 18yo Yamazaki is amongst our favourite expressions of this Japanese powerhouse distillery but the 1984 just raises the bar even higher. It is frightfully expensive and hard to find, but worth every penny, such is the intensity of the experience.

Kampai!

BIG AWARDS - THE WINNER IS ANNOUNCED!!

Well, here it is folks, the moment you've been waiting for... from our list of 10 incredible, inspirational drams, we have the great honour of announcing the overall winner of the 2010 Best In Glass awards.

Yesterday, at a secret location in central London, 5 men sat down to discuss the fate of our short list.

Ben Ellefsen- director supremo of Master Of Malt

Ryan Chetiyawardana - Cocktail supremo and top barman at the now legendary 69 Colebrooke Row

Sam Simmons - Global Ambassador for The Balvenie and known to millions simply as Dr Whisky. We certainly had a prescription for him.

plus 2 shabby drunken reprobates.

The format was the same- 10 whiskies, initially nosed and tasted blind, were whittled down to a shortlist of 3, with one overall winner.

And, to use the vernacular of a slightly pubescent teenager "OMG- how hard was that!!"

This year, the standards were exceptional. We argued, mulled, ummed and arrrred, at one point finding that we had spent nearly the best part of an hour exploring the fine differences between a 4yo and a 40yo.

Something had to give- and in the end, we managed to nail our top 3.

So our 2 runners up, or as they are, 'highly commended' bottlings were:

Yamazaki 1984- The panel feeling this whisky was a masterpiece of whisky making, displaying a broad symphony of oriental flavours.

Glenfarclas 40 yo - Big, bold intense flavours, with lots of distillery character.

but this year's overall winner, by a whisker is.....

Berrys' Own Selection - Ledaig 2005 - single cask bottling

Yet again, a young whisky triumphs over age. The panel felt that the whisky exhibited some huge flavours and extraordinary cask choice. Well done to Doug and all over at Berry Brothers & Rudd for continued excellence with their bottlings. If you can lay your hands on a bottle of this- GRAB ONE NOW!!

That's it for another year folks. See you, same time, same place next year!

ps.... as you'll see by the dusty old spitoon...

not a drop was wasted.