Hanyu 1988 "Big Butt" Cask 9306

Hanyu 1986 22 year old 'Part de Anges' cask #2812

And the final Hanyu from tonight's line-up! Nose: Engaging and surprising. Immediately on apricots, honey, vanilla, and licorice. The varnish note is almost plastic, but it's all good here. Almost a touch of flax oil, though it interacts in some way with the varnish. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's distinct. Just oodles of dried...

Score 86/100

Hanyu 1991 19 year old "Nectar of the Daily Dram,' cask 377

The name of the bottling is quite the mouthful: Nectar of the Daily Dram, 'Red Oak Heads,' Cask 377. Nose: Rather elegant and 'orange,' with a bit of oaky varnish. Surprisingly mute here, though elements of sawdust are present. It takes some time, but it does open a bit more. Light red sherry notes, soft nuts like cashews, and pepper from the...

Score 88/100

Hanyu 1988 19 year old Cask 9307 'Nice Butt'

I wanted to give a few offerings from Hanyu - another closed, though well-reputed - Japanese distillery, and managed to score a few sample size bottles of the stuff. Huzzah! This was a multi-hour vertical of single cask offerings. I started with the youngest, the 19 year old 'Nice Butt' bottle. Nose: Slightly jammy with red berries and tropical...

Score 87/100

Hanyu 1988 21 Year Old Noh Cask #9306

Noh refers to a tradtional form of Japanese theater with masks. Hence the label. This Japanese whisky was put to sleep in 1988 in a sherry butt that yielded 625 bottles at cask strength in 2009. The nose is very fruity on all kinds of dried fruits: dried figs, raisins, candied cherries. Delicious. Some menthol and roasted nuts. Nice touch of...

Score 92/100