Beer
Abashiri Okhotsk Blue Draft, ABV 5%, Happoshu, Japan
I cannot make up my mind about this beer. Certainly, there is the color. But I also have never quite had anything quite like this before. The beer pours a crystal clear blue color like that of deep marine water. It is like a brooding kind of blue, without any hint of yellow. Very weird, as the beer is certainly brewed with malts. On first pour, the head is foamy and thick but recedes very quickly, leaving little to almost no lacing. The nose, which actually smells like lager, is rather muted. I can only detect a faint bouquet of rice, blueberries, seaweed, minerals and saline notes like those of oysters. The beer certainly drinks just like the nose suggests - very light with plenty of carbonation, with a single shred of structure to speak of. There are flavors of rice lager, hay, berries, fresh cut grass, melon and slight trace of malts. The finish is incredibly short and the beer ends in a very clean way with a berry-like sweetness. Rather innocuous beer that probably prides itself in the novelty factor of being blue in color sans coloring. But other than that, a pretty average brew in just about every other aspect. 76
Asahara Shuzo Musashino Beer, ABV 5%, Pilsner, Japan
Trying out yet another hard to get Japanese craft brew. The pilsner pours a typical lager color - deep golden with a thick frothy head that recedes rather quickly. The carbonation is very apparent throughout the glass and just streams in thin straight lines within the glass. With a bouquet of malts, bready yeast, citrus and fresh-cut grass, the nose is rather sweet, much like those of typical European lagers. The structure is very thin with a linear mineral streak running throughout the beer. Likewise, the palate of rice, citrus and malts is rather simple and linear. With a minimal amount of alcohol and copious amounts of carbonation, this is a very easy drinking beer. The finish is short and ends just like a Heineken or a Budweiser - yeasty and astringent with faint malty sweetness and hops. Wait, this is a Pilsner? 74
Baird Beer Rising Sun Pale Ale, ABV 5.1%, American Pale Ale, Japan (Bottled 08-20-2015)
This beer pours a hazy orange, amber color with a thick white head and good head retention. On the nose, the pale ale smells strongly of grapefruit rinds, malts, black tea, spice and even fresh cut grass. The citrus definitely dominates more so than the hop oils. Having a medium-structured body, the beer drinks easily and cleanly with a mineral cut, thanks to the moderate amount of carbonation in the brew. Flavors of hops, malts, yeast, citrus zest, tannic tea leaves, and spice are all there in balanced proportions. Finish is long and lingering, with an end marked by a grassy complexity and the mouth-puckering astringency from black tea. Despite the low alcohol, this feels like pale ales that are on the heavier side. But it is just so fresh and delicious. 87
Baird Beer Single Take Session Ale, ABV 4.5%, Belgian Pale Ale, Japan (Bottled 03-12-2015)
This beer pours a hazy, dark auburn, amber color with some particulates, which is natural as the beer is unfiltered and undergoes a second fermentation within the bottle. Certainly, this is a darker color than most Belgian pale ales. The head is thick but dissipates rather quickly, leaving quite a bit of delicate lacing on the sides. On the nose, the beer gives off a rice lager scent along with floral hop oils. Citrus, yeast, ginger, spice are all there too. The beer is incredibly easy to quaff thanks to its creamy structure and citrus freshness. Sadly, there is not as much hops on the palate as there is on the nose. Rather, I get a lot of citrus rinds (especially grapefruits), pineapples, black tea and yeasty, doughy sweetness. The finish is dry and crisp, fleeting almost, given the high amount of carbonation. Astringent in the end with remarkable precision and cut. 88
Baird Beer Angry Boy Brown Ale, ABV 7%, American Brown Ale, Japan (Bottled 02-24-2015)
This beer pours a dark, nut brown color with much sediment and some frothy, clingy head. On the nose, the beer smells of carbonation and has a sweet profile - with a core of tonka beans, coffee malts, caramel, Asian spice, cinnamon and candied nuts. The brew has a smooth structure and drinks very easily as the carbonation helps a lot. However, this makes the beer rather thin despite the higher than normal alcohol percentage. Maybe the long storage time has eased out on the harshness of the booze. Flavor-wise, the beer is pretty straightforward with a palate of malts, brown sugar, honey and spice. Funnily enough, the beer tastes like a rice lager on the finish, which is dry and crisp and not quite what I would expect from a brown ale. A bit too clean and not robust enough for my taste. 84
Sake
Hakutsuru Sho-Une Junmai Daiginjo 【白鶴：翔雲 - 純米大吟釀】(ABV 15.5%, Seimai-buai 50%, Hyogo Prefecture
Famed for using 100% Yamada-nishiki (山田錦) rice and Miyamizu water (灘之宮水), a hard spring water with much minerals from Nada, this sake pours a crystal clear color with the slightest of yellowish tinge. At 50% rice polishing, the brew boasts a nose of lychee, pineapples, persimmon, pears, cantaloupe and chrysanthemum. Despite the mineral-rich water, the entry of the sake is quite soft with the strength of the alcohol slowly creeping its way in before hitting with some heat. With time comes a more delineated mineral backbone. On the palate, there are flavors of rice koji, sesame, jasmine flowers, sugarcane, and melons - more on the sweet side. Nevertheless, the sake is not cloying at all and the finish is rather long and complex. Towards the end, there is even a tannic, smoky kick. Quite nice, and good value for money. 86
Wine
2002 Joseph Drouhin 1er Cru Beaune Clos des Mouches Rogue, Beaune, Burgundy
The bottle is popped and decanted for a good 3 hours before drinking. Although the cork is soaked to the brim, it still comes out in one piece and the wine is in great shape. It pours a light ruby color with some hints of orange due to the age, with copious amounts of legs clinging onto the side of the glass as a result of this great vintage. On the nose, the wine is deep and brooding, with a concentrated bouquet dominated by jammy plums, stewed cherries, mushrooms, sous bois and some oak. The concentration just screams of remarkable ripeness of fruit and high extraction levels. The palate is beautifully rounded with a decent amount of acid to keep things light. More red fruits, truffles and even some smoke form the core. The finish is superbly long, lasting almost a good 45 seconds. The wine ends in an herbal, peppery note. With that much grace and power, along with effortless guile, this surely is a cerebral and enjoyable wine. 93
2002 Jean Noel Gagnard 1er Cru Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets, Chassagne Montrachet, Burgundy
This Burgundy is popped and aired (not decanted) for a good 3 hours before drinking as well. It pours a deep golden, almost turning copper, color with very long legs. The nose is just so expansive and concentrated with copious amounts of butter, oak, vanilla, melon, spice and honey. The extraction levels needed to produce this level of power is remarkable. That said, there is still some muskiness in the nose that just does not seem to go with away. With a nice streak of acidity and minerality, the palate is rather linear yet precise. Alcohol does bite slightly (great vintage nonetheless) and with it brings flavors of spice, chalk, honey, lemon curd and almonds. The finish is long, with a distinctly nutty and doughy cut. Good, but I am expecting more from this producer, vineyard and vintage. 89
R&L Legras Champagne Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, Chouilly, Champagne
A classic, chardonnay-dominated champagne. It pours a straw golden hue with long legs and fine streams of carbonation. On the nose, the champagne is fresh, toasty and big with notes of bready yeasts (think sourdough), along with citrus oils, granny smith apples, brioche and the slightest of oak. The palate is just as assertive, yielding a strong mineral backbone and decent acidity to keep the creamy champagne very fresh. Lemon zest, pears, lychee nuts and even pistachios can be found. The finish is somewhat long with decent balance between the acidity and creamy mousse. Only slight blemish is the somewhat muddy end. Otherwise, quite an enjoyable champagne. 87
2011 Domaine Servin Chablis Les Forêt, Chablis, Burgundy
The wine pours a light golden color with medium legs. Surprisingly enough, the nose has a lot of oak, so much so that it is almost atypical of the archetypal Chablis. Nonetheless, the nose still displays a concentrated bouquet of lemon curd, vanilla, custard and spice. Nonetheless, I do note a certain vegetal, almost greenness, to the wine. The palate surely confirms my thin as the body is rather lean with a strong mineral streak. This is then followed by citrus oils, toasty brioche and even more oaky vanilla. Finish is of medium length and the wine ends with a slightly acidic cut. This wine surely smells a lot bigger and more promising than it actually tastes. It is alright, I suppose, as a food wine. 86
Whisky
Ardbeg Day 2012 Committee Release, ABV 56.7%, Islay
As the slogan on the label says, there is a ton of peat in this whisky. This is a very beautiful dram and the whisky pours a deep, dirty golden color with considerable legs. At 56.7%, this is near undrinkable. With a touch of water, the whisky starts to reveal itself and shows its beautiful bouquet and pedigree. The nose is a mixture of vanilla, peanut oil, ocean air, kombu, spice, chocolate fudge and potpurri. The body of whisky is incredible. Despite the alcohol strength, the whisky does not bite at all, but rather glides effortlessly down the throat with minimal alcohol heat. The structure is expansive and permeates through the nasal cavity as the dram reveals a palate of salinity, salted caramel, roasted nuts, seaweed, cloves, Christmas fruit cake and charred oak. The finish is long, lasting over 40 seconds, and revolves around peat smoke, saline sea air and caramel sweetness. Very complex and quite a ruminative dram. As good as it gets from Islay without an age statement. 96
Balvenie Rose 16 Year Old First Release, ABV 53.4%, Speyside
One of the rarest of releases from Balvenie and I am glad that I have saved the last dram of the bottle to do the review. Back when this first hits the market (c. 2010), I have picked up a bottle knowing that this is one of those one-off releases from a respectable distillery. This whisky commemorates the history of the Balvenie castle, which essentially is war plunder with which the rent is fixed at a single red rose since 1460. From this historical story comes the eponymous whisky, one distilled in 1991 and matured in four first-fill port pipes resulting in a mere 426 bottles.
This dram pours a deep, saturated and distinctive maroon color with very long legs, certainly reminiscent of port wine itself. On the nose, the whisky incredibly vibrant and boasts a concentrated bouquet of red fruits, Christmas fruit cake, raisins, honey roasted nuts, dried cranberries and spice. The palate is supple, powerful and expansive, yet possesses a lightness that is just remarkable. Flavors of dried apricots, cranberries, fruit cream, vanilla, charred oak, sultanas, and spice dominate the core. Just a hint of smoke and oak sweetness in the very end of a long, dwindling finish. For me, it is the balance between sweetness, fruit, oak and smoke that impresses me the most. What an incredibly remarkable whisky. Too bad it is the last dram! 97
Date (伊達) by Miyagikyo (宮城峽), ABV 43.0%, Japan
A first for me as I have yet to see another whisky released from Miyagikyo after the Tohoku earthquake in 2011. According to the label, Date is produced under the supervision of the Miyagikyo distillery. The whisky pours a honeyed, auburn color with viscous legs. The nose is nutty with a fruit-cake-forward sweetness, oak and buttery fat, thanks to the sherry casks. The bouquet consists of peat smoke, barley malts, marzipan, sherry, nuts, and dried fruits. On the palate, the whisky is quite thin and somewhat chewy. Flavor-wise, the dram boasts a sweetness driven by dried fruits with a citrus undertone. Specifically, I pick up peach rinds, pineapples, an attack of spice and a closing of alcohol bite. Nonetheless, the finish is clean with a stone-cut edge. Quite tasty, though a bit too lean for my taste. It is good to see what Miyagikyo can achieve though with NAS (no age statement) whiskies. 87
Yoichi (余市) NAS Original Cask (原酒), ABV 45.0%, Japan
The first no-age-statement (NAS) whisky I have tried from Yoichi. For me, this is always one of the best Japanese distilleries out there as I love the honeyed yet saline profile. There has been a hike in demand recently for Japanese whiskies, given that the Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 was crowned best whisky of the year by Jim Murray. As such, to keep up with demand, Japanese distillers are shelving age-dated whiskies while pushing forward to the NAS trend (think Yamazaki single malt, Hibiki Harmony etc.). Yoichi is no exception, and this whisky certainly does a rather marvelous job at it. Like the Yoichi 12, the NAS Original Cask pours a light golden color with thick legs, like that of a whisky aged in bourbon barrels. On the nose are notes of peanut oil, grilled nuts, vanilla, spice, seaweed, spice and sweet caramel. The palate is thick with an oily slick, which does mask the bite of the alcohol considerably. Spiciness runs through the flavor profile supported by astringent citrus peel and nuttiness, like beurre noisette. The finish is quite long and in typical Yoichi fashion - somewhat smoky. This is truly good stuff that gives its age-dated cousins a run for the money. 89
Brora 35 Years Old (11th Release - Bottle no. 790 of 1566. Bottled in 2012), ABV 48.1%, Highland
Wow. What an incredible whisky. This single malt is part of Diaego's Special Releases series. It is a cask strength bottling which is a vatting of whiskies aged in American oak from 1976 and 1977, at that time the oldest Brora ever released. Even more exciting is that just like the highly sought after Port Ellen, Brora has stopped production (thanks to Clynelish taking over the name) and exists no more. This malt pours a deep golden color as evidenced by age and maturation. On the nose is a bouquet of beeswax, cut grass, cantaloupe, oysters, honey, truffle, fennel and Asian spice. There is such an explosion of notes on the nose. The palate is just as expansive and impressive. Soft on the entry, this whisky fans out and expands in the mouth, growing in intensity of flavors as well as minerality. There is an iodine bite at first, but this mellows out and is followed by notes of anise liqueur, grassy freshness, oak, caramel malts, seaweed, wax, citrus and just a hint of vanilla. Finish is clearly defined with a smoky, leathery and waxy end, just enough to keep the feminine guile. This is an excellent dram, one that shows remarkable expressiveness and concentration. Top notch whisky from a close distillery. 97
Edradour Fairy Flag 15 Years Old, ABV 46.0%, Highland
This is a special eponymous bottling of the movie "Fairy Flag" which is released in 2014, and one from my favorite distilleries in Scotland. The dram pours a dark amber, mahogany color with very long legs. Judging by the color, this whisky has probably spent a considerable amount of time maturing in sherry barrels. On the nose is the archetypal Edradour buttery profile, supported by a plethora of dried fruits, Christmas cake, chocolate, candied walnuts (核桃糖), fudge, caramel, sherry and cream. On the palate, the whisky boasts a viscous, unctuous mouthfeel. Flavors of nuts, raisins, apricots, nutmeg and Asian spice dominate the core. The finish is long, and even somewhat cloying. This is a very dessert-like whisky. That cloying sweetness, coupled with that buttery nose, is just like what you would sometimes get with fancy desserts, minus the guilt and calories. And for me, this is what appeals to me the most. 91
Very Olde St. Nick Ancient Cask no. 15, ABV 53.5%, Somewhere in America
This is an interesting bottle with an uncertain history, given that it is made exclusively for the export market to Japan and cannot be found in the States at all. From what I have read online (see here), it seems that the whisky is the product of a California company which sources its juice from a multitude of sources, from Julian Van Winkle to Stitzel-Weller. With that in mind, it is very hard to pinpoint the source. As for the drink itself, the dram pours a light straw color with very thick legs at cask strength. With some dilution, the floral nose lifts up and brings a plethora of vanilla, banana chips, spice, flower honey, charred oak and smoke. The palate aligns with the nose and is quite viscous with a good amount of cloying sweetness. The alcohol, however, bites down really hardly. The whisky tastes of camomile, honey, cinnamon and oak. The finish is of medium length with a distinct cut. This is a delicious bourbon that is feisty yet strikes a good balance between spicy and sweet. 88