Hatozaki Small Batch Japanese Whisky

Nose - light tquila-ish smell but fades over time as it rests, a touch of smokeyness, not much else but very easy here Taste - smokey and peaty, not medicinal peat, light pear Finish - tingles a bit on the tongue with light smoke carrying through from the taste, no boozyness and very easy to drink, short lasting Score - 3.5, love the light color that looks like water with a dash of white wine Scoring Legend 5.0 - Outstanding, unmatched to others 4.5 - Excellent, I will always keep a bottle in stock if possible 4.0 - Very good, quite enjoyable to drink, can consider as a solid choice 3.5 - Good, would taste again 3.0 - Average 2.5 - Acceptable, still drinkable 2.0 - Inferior, able to drink but not enjoyable 1.5 and below—wouldn’t drink again unless I am desperate

Well… This was unexpected. On the nose, I am mediately get light fruits, pear, and even a hint of dark chocolate underneath. Smells kind of like a scotch and sweet. I despise the mouth feel, though. It has such a weird texture. It has a unexpected bite to it that almost reminds me of carbonation. Very hot and makes my tongue tingle! Also very thin at the same time. Seems like a contradiction, so it is strange, to say the least. Notes of pepper and lemon, with a thin finish. I don’t know what happened with this whiskey, but it’s very unusual. Not really in a good way. I think it’s perhaps very young, which could be a source of some of these issues. Maybe it would be good to mix with?

Nose: very light, floral notes, butterscotch and tart fruits Palate: light butterscotch, sweet and sour fruits, a bit of pepper Finish: malt forward, tart apples, some cask notes of oak and some light pepper and a hint of oak smoke lingering Overall very light in both color and with a delicate flavor, a unique experience for sure not typically found in scotch, bourbon or Irish whiskey. However the price of is simply too high, at nearly 60 USD there are simply too many other choices, even amongst Japanese whisky that already has a dubious value proposition of young nas whisky priced against very solid bottles of well aged scotch and Irish whisky.

Like many others, I immediately noticed the floral and fruit sense and it does have the nose of a good tequila. The finish however is smoky and you can definitely tell it's a Japanese whiskey. I'm more of a bourbon and a scotch drinker and I'm just getting into Japanese whiskey so it's hard for me to compare it to anything else. Very enjoyable!

Nose: light hint of fruit and melon with stronger citrus (lemon) note. Appearance: light straw color with thin legs. Palate: light melon with the presence of smokiness. Has a medium to light finish. Would recommend making a split based old fashion with a lighter flavored Bourbon to compliment both spirits.

Smells a little like tequila. Pretty nice flavor, smooth up front smokey type flavor with a mid tongue bite near end 1 drop of water - kind of a smokey mezcal smell, similar flavor but more of a bite this time 2 drops - even more mezcally, similar mid tongue burn as 1 drop