Welcome to Whisky Lady‘s 2nd instalment… and February was my turn to host!

This particular session required some advance planning with purchases in Tokyo during my July 2014 trip. To pair with exploring whiskies from this remarkable country, I prevailed on a friend’s catering company for a 4-course Japanese feast from Sushi Koi – simply delicious!

Our February whisky tasting session included:

• Chita Single Grain Whisky – Utterly exquisite – perfume perfection
• Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask – Deceptive strength, bursting with character
• Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 Year – Must air then delightfully complex
• Mystery Malt – Ichiro’s 46.5% from Isetan – Possibly the Houou-uhi – a rediculously rare blend of two discontinued distilleries – Hanyu and Kawasaki – must catch if you can!

Enjoyed revisiting a few sampled previously:

• Ledaig 1997 – Another excellent Gordon & MacPhail discovery…
• Talisker Dark Storm NAS 45.8% – A dark and stormy dram… drinkable but not exceptional
• Tyrconnell 10 year Madeira Cask 46% – For a touch of the Irish!
• Highland Park 1998 40% – Sigh… I miss the 18 year… Sigh…

I also had fun with the following:

• The Quandry of the Kininvie 17 year – Indecision time – to open or keep?? Followed by a generous offer of a sample when next in Singapore…
• Taste Test! – Revealing nose is king in taste!

Top picks? A tough one this month! The simple answer is the Japanese whiskies ruled – each for different reasons:

• The Mystery Malt from Ichiro’s Malt is definitely special, mature, well-rounded and nuanced!
• I’m also terribly partial to cask strength whiskies, so the Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask gets a special nod with its complex elements and deceptive strength.
• The Chita is unique with a feminine ‘perfume’ quality that is almost ‘un-whisky’ like – in a good way!
• And after airing, can certainly see why the Taktsuru Pure Malt garners attention.

Slainthe!

Wake up Scotland! Japan has some serious whiskies to beat. (Whisky Lady)

Check out recent the Whisky Lady posts:

• Feb 2015 – Chita Single Grain Whisky, Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask, Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 Year, Ichiro’s Malt 46.5% (possibly Houou-uhi).
• Jan 2015 – Bailie Nicole Jarvie (BNJ), Paul John Single Malt Edited, GlenDronach 21 Year Parliament
• Revisits – Ledaig 1997, Talisker Dark Storm, Tyrconnell 10 year Madeira Cask, Highland Park 1998