Suntory Royal

Nose - Very light fruity/floral vanilla, light caramel, hints of Asian pear, carambola (star fruit). Taste - Fairly thin and light, pear/white grape juice, floral, light balanced fruity bittersweet like that of a pomelo pith, gentle woody/spice tingle. Finish - Light lingering wood/spice tingle, fruity & floral notes remain, more Asian pear & carambola along w/ fading pomelo pith bittersweet. Score - 81/100 Final Thoughts - This one screams Japanese blend. Flavors are very light, well put together, nothing offensive, but subtle. Fairly boring on the nose, but very floral & almost gentle purfume-like. I have a feeling this is best served neat as it seems like it would very quickly disappear in a highball or any other mixture. Very light & gentle summery feel, something you can sip on and quickly forget about. Nothing off-putting but at the same time nothing really memorable.

Smooth, easy drinking. The nose is light with apple, floral notes, and subtle sweetness almost like a poundcake. Palate is soft, with a creamy texture. Delicate fruit, light spice, and a bit of sugar. Very short and gentle finish as well. Its got range but not a ton of complexity, which in this case is okay because it makes for a pleasant sipper. Worth noting I bought this at a grocery store in Kyoto for…not much. Probably around $40ish. Over there its considered a slightly above average classic, mostly drank by granddad. Come to find its being sold here in the US for well over $250 a bottle, and fair warning, its really not worth that kind of price. You cant get it easily, so the scarcity is all you’re paying for. But if you’re ever across the pacific, it’s definitely worth a try.

I saw this Suntory Royal bottle at a friend's house and when he said "pick any bottle" i obviously went for the "old looking Suntory", thinking of course that it was the hardest one to find. The result: a not too enjoyable dram that is easily forgotten. On the nose: Grain whisky right from the start. Lemon, dry cake, Yeast, raw rice. Very similar to haig club. On the palate: spice, butter and corn. Not good. Aftertaste is short with yeast notes. Basically a grain whisky, this one could be avoided. 68/100.

1970s bottling. Nose: Vanilla, Lavender, Cherries, Caramel, Chocolate, Sandalwood, Corn, Grass, Pepper, Oranges, Peaches Palate: salted Caramel, Oranges, Cherries, chocolate, apricots, mangoes, papayas, green apples, red apples, sakura, pepper Finish: chocolate, vanilla, caramel, cherries, red apples, Oranges, peaches

Tasting a sample from a 1984 United Airlines sponsor item for the Hawaiian Open. The bottle was closed in a porcelain head dress for 36 years before seeing the light of day. The dram was lively and showed no signs of being stored for so long. Taste reminds me of a very good scotch blend.

Smooth sailing from start to finish. Vanilla, caramel & orange zest are up first. Some nice, yet light cinnamon spice sits on the tongue. Ends somewhat malty with underlying cocoa, toffee and brown butter. Short finish. Easy sipper but nothing special.