Suntory Kakubin

Japanese whisky tasting evening, Sydney 28 March 18, Whisky #1 Nose: Cereal and ethanol, lightly fragrant with some faint, delicate fruit notes. There is a touch of honey and vanilla but it has no complexity. Palate: Straightforward, soft arrival focused on cereal notes supported by a little sweetness and very mild spice (ginger? cinnamon?). There is very little development apart from some faint citrus and honey, and the texture is thin. Finish: Short. The mild cereal/fruit character dissipates into a spirity aftertaste with traces of vanilla and mint, but there is no bitterness and no metallic notes. If I tasted this blind I would mistake it for a bottom-shelf blended Irish whiskey or grain-dominated blended scotch. The palate is clean and crisp but of no great interest, the finish is short and unremarkable and you can clearly taste the presence of a lot of grain whisky (but to be fair it is of good quality). It's best used as a mixer in a highball which I believe is the classic way of using it in Japan. This was "whisky zero" of the night - the palate cleanser to set the scenery for the whiskies to follow. In that capacity it worked well but I would not buy a bottle. “Adequate” : 70/100 (2 stars)

Nose is sweet butter with a touch of honey and fresh orchard (green) apple, light floral note. Slight sharp spice note, possible ethanol-like touch but faint. Fragrant but simple. Pleasant, very friendly. Taste is similar to nose. Has a hint of something similar to licorice possibly at the end. Taste does not last long. Overall, not complex at all. VERY much Irish whisky like which is definitely the category I would put it in. Kudos for making a good budget Irish whisky that’s technically not Irish whisky. Simple but enjoyable for a budget. Drinks better than many budget Irish whiskies. Would mix very well. Worth a try for the buck if you are ever in Asia.

A Blended Japanese Whisky, that is intended for a large group of consumers. Bottled at 40%abv with a burnished color. On the nose is rather light, i get brown cake with raisins, prune peel, vanilla, oranges, brown sugar, the smell of the branches that comes with grapes, and honey. On the palate i found brown dry grasses, tobacco, clove, cereal, oak. It is light bodied, and the aftertaste is medium long full of oakyness in a pleasant way. Overall is a good dram, not good enough to buy a full bottle but interesting. 72/100

At the price point of ~$30/700mL this whisky feels like a steal. Every time I make an order from Japan I throw in a bottle of the yellow, black, or white label. It's cheap and the taste is way above its price. The black is the best of the group in my opinion. The yellow is lighter in color and flavor, but is an excellent value that is impossible to pass up if available for

Had to drink a bottle of this, mostly out of peer pressure, when I was in Japan. This whisky is the only unpleasant memory of my trip there. I remember this being very one-dimensional in terms of flavor and tasting solely of wood and honey. Probably should of had it in a highball.

Never seen it in the States but when I was in Japan this was at 7 eleven and it was shockingly cheap and good. Not complex or interesting but maybe one of the best hard drinking whiskeys ever! Went down like water! Apple juice as a whiskey. Kinda like Canadian but even lighter