Hanyu 1991 Ichiro's Malt Nine of Clubs

Hanyu 1988 19 Year Old Cask 9307 'Nice Butt'

I wanted to give a few offerings from Hanyu - another closed, though well-reputed - Japanese distillery, and managed to score a few sample size bottles of the stuff. Huzzah! This was a multi-hour vertical of single cask offerings. I started with the youngest, the 19 year old 'Nice Butt' bottle. Nose: Slightly jammy with red berries and tropical...

Score 87/100

Hanyu 1986 22 Year Old 'Part de Anges' cask #2812

And the final Hanyu from tonight's line-up! Nose: Engaging and surprising. Immediately on apricots, honey, vanilla, and licorice. The varnish note is almost plastic, but it's all good here. Almost a touch of flax oil, though it interacts in some way with the varnish. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's distinct. Just oodles of dried...

Score 86/100

Hanyu 17 Year Old 1990 Single Cask #9511

The Hanyu distillery is no more. The firm goes back to the 17th Century, but only since 1980 do they distill whisky (before they made sake, of course) after installing two pot stills. The distillery was built during the Second World War in the town of the same name a little northwest of Tokyo, close to the river Tone. However, in 2000 it went...

Score 88/100

Hanyu Inchiro 2000 'The Game' bot. 2009

gift sample from a friend Nose: Varnish, malt, and a little sour (a bit on apple skins). It turns a little chocolatey. Grainy sweetness and a touch of sandalwood. There's something nice in there, but the alcohol is a bit fierce and the sour note is just a bit off. (with water) Varnish, camphor/medicinal, a little residual sweetness and fruit. More...

Score 80/100