Togouchi Premium Blended Whisky

Quite surprising whisky. This is my first Japanese tasting. Very light and pale colour (is it really matured in a sherry cask????). At the nose from the bottle, one can smell violet and alcohol. And also very light (hidden)smells of fresh citrus fruits and apples. Vanilla and oak smells are also a bit present but easier to catch. Pouring it into a glass makes this smell vanish a bit. At the fist taste it is very spicy and peppery and an incredibly round and oily (creamy even) sensation take on your tongue which is a good and interesting contrast with the first flavours. Later the whisky gets less spicy and easier to drink. At this stage one can taste apple and fruity taste. Adding water drops helps it to get even less spicy but also less creamy (which is a shame). We can taste the violet syrup at this time along with light cacao. I don't usually drink blended whisky (it might be only my third or fourth one), and as I said it is the first Japanese. But this was a very nice experience and I'd be happy to do it again. If you can try it, don't hesitate!

A creamy, blended Japanese whisky from the producers Chugoku Jozo, who mature their whisky in a tunnel at a constant temperature of 57 degrees & a humidity of 80%. The name comes from where the tunnel is located, in the town of Togouchi, which merged with two other towns to create a larger town called Akiota. They put those oak Sherry casks deep within an abandoned train tunnel & let it sit. So, what we have here is a NAS Whisky that is about 60% Canadian, 40% Scottish, & aged about 8 years in Spanish Sherry casks underground in Japan. It has a soft & sweet birth with notes of spice & vanilla; while a rich life adds notes of oak & dark chocolate, peat, floral & biscuit; that led to a refined death with notes of oak, sugar, hints of sherry & grain. October 2017 / August 2022

Togouchi Blended Whisky is not an actual Japanese Whisky, it is entirely made of scottish whisky, and just bottled in Japan. Bottled at 40%abv its the most transparent Whisky i have ever seen, with a Gin Clear color. On the nose it is very dim, you have to let it sit for quite a while. After 10 minutes, notes will appear: plum, slight peatyness, alcohol, vanilla cookie, pepper and chocolate powder. On the palate its actually not bad, a little bitter, with cereal, pepper, ashes and dry brown grasses. Finish is short and body is medium. Overall it is a 69 out of 10, maybe suitable for cocktails.

This is pleasant enough, especially on the nose where you’ll find a really nice, gentle, floral quality. The whisky just smells nice and light. The palate however, I must say, is a bit underwhelming. Its not bad, but there just isnt much to it. There’s sweetness, those floral notes again, and then a quick and very soft finish. That’s about it. I’d say this is very drinkable, and even refreshing. But it’s far from impressive especially among its peers.

Let sit for about a minute. 👀: Very very pale amber, almost transparent like water; 👃: Sour scent like yeast, sourness gives way to delicate floral aromas, syrupy heavy thickness; 👅: Thinness of water on first sip, quick hit of floral that disappears fast, delicate like a bouquet (think Dalwhinnie 15); 🏁: No lingering finish, no need for palate cleansers, no complexity. (Postnote: Slightly metallic taste at the very end.)

👃- This whisky has a slight rum-like smell, a smell born from the presence of milk chocolatey notes as well as nutmeg, sultana and a light spice 👅- A bevvy of milk chocolate melts on the tongue along with a tinge of vanilla, smoked oak, saffron and finishing with a light, pleasant spice 🏁-The finish is much lighter than expected, with buttery vanilla dissipating around a distinct note of cereal