About Scottish Leader Brand

Scottish Leader Brand is relatively young, although their blends are selling in almost 50 countries worldwide. The company was established in 1976 and still has the same motto – blend it with knowledge. That applies to their extended blending team, focusing on the importance of the right, most harmonious ingredients. With this in mind, the source whiskies for the Scottish Leader blend arrive chiefly from Tobermory Distillery, established in 1798.

About Scottish Leader 25 Years Old

Ian MacMillan blended Scottish Leader 25 Years Old with one goal – present the best of a Scotch blend to the far east. Needless to say that he nailed the task spot on. This blend apparently includes around 40 whiskies and is rounded at 40% Vol alcohol. To present this Scottish excellence, they chose a 0,7L ceramic decanter crowned with wildlife.

Scottish Leader 25 Years Old Tasting Notes

This Scotch has a coppery gold color and comes to the nose with its strong nutty, toffee scent and is indeed full-bodied. On the second go, I got the floral hints and well-rounded oak finish. Speaking of the palate, it is well balanced, rich, and spicey. Hazelnut taste is completed with sweet oaky touch, making it an amazingly well-rounded Scotch. I did expect a bit longer aftertaste, though. Despite that, it is a lovely spirit.

Scottish Leader 25 Years Old Review Card

• 9.3/10
  PACKAGING – BOTTLE – 9.3/10
• 9.2/10
  ON THE NOSE – 9.2/10
• 8.6/10
  ON THE PALATE– 8.6/10
• 8.4/10
  FINISH – 8.4/10
• 9.6/10
  VALUE – 9.6/10

Conclusion

Scottish Leader 25 Years Old is a prime example of a Scotch blend, and I bet it opens nostalgic feelings to many whisky enthusiasts. Also, the ceramic bottle is giving away some sentimental vibes as well. Speaking of design, I love the wildlife theme. How more pure Scottish can it gets, right? Sure, some clan pattern is missing, I guess. This bottle is rare to find, but if you have a chance to get your mittens on it, go for it. The price ended under 100 USD on some auctions, which is a bargain for an asset like this.

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A Short History of Nikka Distillery

It all started back in 1918 with the father of Japanese Whiskey, Masataka Taketsuru, who had a scholarship in Scotland. While studying organic chemistry at the University of Glasgow, he visited many distilleries. At the same time, his love for whiskies grew bigger and bigger. It seems like Scotland was his life destination. There he met the love of his life, Jessie Roberta “Rita” Cowan. After their wedding in 1920, Masataka and his Scottish bride moved to Japan to pursue a career in liqueur and start a family. Luckily, she was supporting Masataka’s dream of producing the best whiskey in the world.

Back to Japan

He came back to Japan with two notebooks full of detailed guides on how to produce good quality whisky. However, his comeback didn’t go as planned. Sadly, Settsu Shuzo, the company which supported Masataka’s education in Scotland, abandoned its plan to produce genuine whisky here in Japan, as the recession after World War I hit Japan quite hard.

In the meantime, Kotobukiya Limited (which is today known as a Suntory), was looking for someone who could conduct a whisky production. Masataka was hired there in 1923 to direct the construction of the Yamazaki Distillery. He and Shinjiro Torii produced Japan’s first genuine whisky. Unfortunately, Masataka wasn’t happy at Kotobukiya and after ten years of dedicated work, he resigned from Kotobukiya. Eventually, he established his own company, called “Dai Nippon Kaju“. The company set up in Hokkaido, the northernmost big island in Japan, where the climate is most similar to that of Scotland. In 1934, when the company opened its doors, its main product was apple juice. At the same time, he was secretly making his first “Nippon Kaju Whisky” or shorter, “Nikka Whisky’’.

First Nikka Whisky

Finally, in 1940 the first Nikka whisky, labeled as Rare Old Nikka Whisky, was launched. Nine years later, Takeshi Taketsuru, Masataka’s nephew and adopted son, joined the Nikka Whisky. In 1952, the corporate name Dai Nippon Kaju Co., Ltd. was altered to The Nikka Whisky Distilling Co., Ltd. They extended production to Asahi Breweries’ Nishinomiya plant, where they produce grain whisky. In 1967, their bottling plant in Kashiwa was completed and two years later, they opened a new distillery in Miyagikyo. Here, the two pristine rivers provide a clean and ideal water source. The name of the one river is Nikkawa River, which makes for amazing coincidence with its similarity to the company name.

Tradition in a Production of Nikka From the Barrel

Here at Miyagikyo’s, the pot stills are much larger than those at Yoichi and they are in different shapes, such as a bulge neck and ascending lyne-arm. These pots are heated with by indirect steam at a much lower temperature, which allows a slower distillation. This method results in soft and floral characteristics. This same distillery is using the Coffey Still, imported from Scotland in 1963. However, today Nikka Distillery owns two Coffey Stills. Those were originally installed at the Nishinomiya plant and later transferred to the Miyagikyo Distillery in 1999. The Coffey Still method retains more flavors originating from the grain itself and is one of the elements for Nikka Whisky specialty.

Remember the ‘tradition’ we named in our article “8 REASONS WHY ARE JAPANESE WHISKIES THE BEST IN WORLD”? It applies here as well. At Yoichi Distillery, they are still using traditional coal-fired distillation. This technique is hardly seen today as it is difficult to control the temperature. It is similar to the pot stills at Longmorn Distillery where Masataka had his first practical training. As a result of using this method, there are boldness and toasty burnt flavors trapped in the spirit.

Nikka Whisky From The Barrel is distilled in the Miyagikyo and Yoichi distillery, which gives its complex characters and yet a kind of simplicity.

Nikka From the Barrel

Oh goodie, I have came across another Japanese harmony in a bottle. Every time I fell in love with their spirits and even now is no different. Nikka From the Barrel is a blend of multiple types of malt and grain whiskies from the Nikka reserves. The alcohol is higher (51,4%) as it is not so rare for Japanese whiskies. After blending, they seal the “marriage” for three to six months in used casks.

This liqueur has a no-age-statement (NAS), which is quite common for blends. Above all, why bother with age if the taste is harmonized, rich and full! What surprised me is the size of the bottle, this small and elegant looking square bottle has only 500 mL, which is a rarity. You can consider it a traveling bottle, I guess. However, there are also normal 750 mL bottles. The price in the USA for the big one is about 65 USD. In the UK you can get a small one for only 35 USD, which is a great value.

My Tasting Notes

The color is amber but very clear and the alcohol tears run smooth. On the nose, I got a sweet combination of honey with dried apricots and fresh citrus. Vanilla is at the back accompanied by a spicy peppery touch. I could find also some flowers inside but never overpowering the fruity balance. The palate is amazingly rich, with quite creamy caramel notes. This full-bodied punch of cinnamon gets in right after the candied oranges. On the first ball, it is easy to find some winter time in it. The finish is medium with still sweet notes. Just a bit of smoky oak and caramel right before it dries your mouth. Sadly, I haven’t tried it with a splash of water as well – it will be for next time.

Nikka From The Barrel Review Card

• 8.6/10
  PACKAGING – BOTTLE – 8.6/10
• 9.1/10
  ON THE NOSE – 9.1/10
• 8.9/10
  ON THE PALATE– 8.9/10
• 9.0/10
  FINISH – 9.0/10
• 9.5/10
  VALUE – 9.5/10

Conclusion

Nikka didn’t disappoint at all. Only 70cL would be a much better option, than this traveling 50cL. Anyway, it is not surprising Nikka Whisky From The Barrel won “Best Japanese Blend” at World Whisky Awards 2007 and 2010. This whiskey also won Gold Medal at International Spirits Challenge in 2013. Anyway, Nikka From the Barrel is quite different from Hibiki Japanese Harmony Harmony, but to be honest I can’t say which one is my favorite.

The post Nikka From The Barrel – Japanese whisky appeared first on Wild 'n' Free Diary.

Probably yes. Lately, they are receiving more awards, than their teacher Scotch. Of course, everything is a preference for the taste. If you ask me, probably yes. I like their approach and overall appearance of this golden drink. Just read the reasons, and you will see what I am talking about. However, to be honest, I do find more pleasant whiskeys from Japan, but I barely touched the offer from Scotland and Ireland. For 100% sure answer, ask me again in 25 years if my livers will survive. Let’s check why is Japanese whiskey the best!

Is it whisky or whiskey?

This might be a huge debate, but let just say both are proper ways to spell it. Whisky comes from Scottish, while whiskey with an additional e comes from Ireland. A difference in the spelling comes from the translations of the word from the Scottish and Irish Gaelic forms. Well, Irish people migrated more to America, so whiskey is preferred word in the US and Canada as well.

8 reasons why is Japanese whiskey the best in the world

In the previous post, you read about Shinjiro Torii and how he accomplished his lifetime dream of making one of the best whiskeys in the world. Now it’s time to point out the more psychological and custom related aspects which are equally important in making this outstanding product. They determined the attitude that pushed men like Shinjiro Torii and his stepson Keizo Saji to continue the quest for a method that leads to making the best Japanese whiskey.

1. Jing Jang

Japanese whiskies are different than the Scottish and American ones. Scottish whiskeys can be heavy-handed, American ones are robust with their caramel finish, but the Japanese are pure and refined. The focus on balance and harmony based on the YIN and YANG principle is why you will find more blended Whiskies than Single Malts in Japan.

2. Tsukuriwake

Unlike the standard practice in the West, Japanese distilleries do not share their stocks of whiskey and trade casks between each other. Most of their blends come from their own distilleries and Suntory has one of the biggest collection of different whiskeys in the world. In this manner, they can complete their philosophy of “TSUKURIWAKE”, which is the philosophy of diversity in the making. This basically represents blending different flavors together to create the most balanced whiskey.

3. Precision and detail

There is another thing that is crucial in the production of whiskey: PRECISION AND DETAIL and the Japanese are renowned for those two characteristics. The Japanese pay great attention to the details and for a sophisticated product like whiskey, this is more than important. In western culture, we could stigmatize it as an obsession, but in the land of the rising sun, that is just a principle one should follow to be successful. While we are talking about success, there is another behavior that helps in whiskey production…

4. Honor

The Japanese simply can’t “lose their face”. If they have a goal, they will achieve it or die trying. After achieving that goal (for example, receiving the award for the best whiskey in the world) and resting on one’s laurels is not an option.

5. Kaizen

This is a principle that is behind the approach regarding small-step improvement. The idea is to continuously seek improvement in order to improve efficiency and quality. If something is working that doesn’t mean that there is no room for development. To achieve that, the Suntory has even created its own yeast strain, the Suntoryeus Lactobacillus.

6. Selling starts at the package

We can’t forget some perfect Scottish whiskey that was put in an unattractive bottle right next to an awful package. Maybe it’s a personal taste but to us, presentation matters, aesthetics are important and exceptional product deserves more than a tacky exterior. For example, HIBIKI has 24-sided bottle, which represents the 24 hours in a day, the 24 seasonal divides in a year and the time in which HIBIKI is matured. The HIBIKI bottle has the label, made of handmade Echizen paper and which bears the letter HIBIKI in Japanese, written in calligraphy. That’s a solid achievement of great packaging.

7. Tradition

In the production of outstanding whiskey, they respect tradition. At Yoichi Distillery, they still distill with direct coal fire, just like they did centuries ago. Actually, this is one of the last places where that practice is still alive. When it comes to tradition, we need to look at the origin. Here we wrote a post about the history of one very successful distillery – SUNTORY. Predisposition for tradition is…

8. Nature

The Japanese have a harmonious relationship with NATURE: they feel at one with it and seasonal festivals celebrate the beauty of that nature. They have a special reverence for nature and believe in nameless spirits referred to as the  “eight million gods”. Being aware of nature’s importance can bring new dimensions to whiskey. The soft and pure water is the main key in production and the Suntory distillery is doing their best that it stays that way for generations to come.

Conclusion

The success of the Japanese whiskeys is organic and beyond doubt, they are here to stay. We hope you got a good idea of what stands behind this world-leading industry. Hopefully, you have become intrigued you will try some of the finest samples from this outstanding country. Some healthy competition is always beneficial for the market. With that being said, it is obvious that we don’t fancy one over the other, it is always nice to have more than one option to choose from. The style of Scottish and American whiskeys is different and it feels good to enjoy them on special occasions. The fact is that the good spirit is a good spirit, no matter who makes it.

The post 8 reasons why is Japanese whiskey the best in world appeared first on Wild 'n' Free Diary.

Reading on will give you an insight into the HIBIKI history and philosophy of Suntory distillery With that, you’ll get to know why their HIBIKI whisky is that extraordinarily perfect.

Early Start

Hibiki history starts with an enthusiastic Japanese man,  Shinjiro Torii. Torii finished his schooling at age thirteen and entered into an apprenticeship at a pharmaceutical wholesaler in Osaka, which carried Western liquors. There he mastered mixing techniques and he developed a sophisticated palate and nose. In 1899, he rented a modest house and started pursuing his dream. He founded the Torii Shoten store in Osaka, Kotobukiya. immediately, his Akadama Sweet Wine became a huge success and was sold in large amounts.

By 1907, the company was well established, but he didn’t stop there. His dream was to make the finest whiskey with the essence of Japanese nature and hand-crafted by artisans. His wish was to create a subtle, refined and yet complex whiskey that would suit the Japanese taste. Inspired by the process of traditional Scottish whisky, but set on totally different terrain and climate, he chose the region of Yamazaki, on the outskirts of Kyoto.

Yamazaki Distillery

Finally, in 1923 he invested his family fortune and pursued his dream of building Japan’s first whisky distillery. The Yamazaki Distillery, Japan’s first whiskey distillery, is on a special location, where one of the purest and softest waters of Japan originates from. Yamazaki. Here, Katsura, Uji and Kizu rivers converge, providing a unique misty climate and one of Japan’s softest waters. Equally important, temperatures and humidity create ideal conditions for cask aging, known as the signature “Suntory Maturation”.

First Whiskey

His first Japanese whisky was the Suntory Shirofud, launched in 1929. Sadly, it was poorly received by the market and failed due to its imitation of smoky Scottish whiskies flavors. From this experience, Torii learned that he needed to satisfy the delicate Japanese palate if he wanted to make a successful Japanese whisky. His search for the best Japanese blend was successful with his Suntory Kakubin whisky. This one became the heart and soul of Japanese whisky and the country’s number one seller. After World War II, Kotobukiya changed to the name of Suntory, as it is known today.

Later on, Suntory cultivated the growth of Japan’s whisky culture by opening Torys bars throughout the country. The way to drink whisky was revolutionized by introducing the “Highball” (mizuwari in Japanese). To point out, this drinking style is popular even today and some whiskies are perfect especially for drinking in a Highball. To explain, a highball is a cocktail with one part whiskey and four parts soda water. As a result of this emerging trend, whisky consumption went through the roof. Despite all the money and fame he got, Torii stayed humble and a man of principle. However, he devoted 30 percent of corporate profits to social welfare projects.

After Shinjiro’s death

Shinjiro Torii died in 1962 and his successor was his adopted second son, Keizo Saji. Keizo built a distillery dedicated to the highest-quality Japanese grain whisky on the misty, calm shores of Chita Peninsula. This distillery uses rare production techniques and makes three types of grain whiskies.  To sum up, the heavy-type grain whisky, distilled through two columns, the medium-type through three columns, and the clean-type through four columns. At the start, they were using whiskies from this distillery as the “dashi” (or broth) that enhances the harmony in Suntory’s renowned blended whiskies. Later on, after many years, they achieved an unrivaled sophistication and complexity. As a result, we have the incredible range of flavors in The Chita Single Grain Whisky.

Pushing the Boundaries

Keizo didn’t stop there. Instead, he wanted to achieve his father’s quest to push the boundaries and produce the best whiskey on the world. For the 50th anniversary of the Yamazaki Distillery, he built The Hakushu Distillery. This is one of the highest distilleries in the world, standing amidst the deepest forests of Mt. Kaikomagatake in the Japanese Southern Alps. Mountain water there is extremely purified and soft due to the filtration of rain and snow through granite rocks. There are four seasons and the changes between them are slow, which makes perfect conditions for maturation. Keizo honored the memory of his father and succeeded in his quest by presenting to the world some of the truly excellent whiskeys. In 1984, the Single Malt Whisky Yamakazi was released and it was a great success.

Birth of the Hibiki

Only five years later, the HIBIKI blend came out. Important to realize, it is not only Japan’s most highly awarded blended whisky, but it is also among the most prestigious and honored whiskeys in the world. Keizo also produces his new style type of whisky in his beloved Hakushu distillery, the Suntory Single Malt Whisky Hakushu. This whisky is fresh and immature on first taste but then it reveals fruity flavors with a lot of complexity. There is a subtle taste of smoke on the finish, which his father had envisioned, but Japanese weren’t ready for this at that time.

Nowadays, the company “is in the hands” of Torii’s grandson, Shingo Torii. He strives to continue his grandfather’s and father’s dreams to challenge what a Japanese whisky could be. Most noteworthy, he released Suntory Whisky Toki, which is a blend of carefully selected whiskies from the House of Suntory’s globally acclaimed Hakushu, Yamazaki and Chita distilleries. It presents the modern and heritage in one spirit.

Another Name

On official site of Suntory, you won’t find the name Masataka Taketsuru anywhere, but let us tell you something about him. He is supposed to be the main actor in the success of Torii’s whisky. He was the third son of a sake brewer and early on, he became interested in western alcoholic beverages, especially in Scotch whisky. In 1918, he went to Scotland to study the process of making proper Scotch whisky. While studying organic chemistry in Glasgow he visited many distilleries. Seems like Scotland was his life destination.

There he met the love of his life, Jessie Roberta “Rita” Cowan. After their wedding in 1920, Masataka and his Scottish bride moved back to Japan. He brought back with him two notebooks filled with notes on the whisky distilling process. His plans to establish a distillery went south, due to the post-WWI depression. In 1923, he found Shinjiro Torii and saw an opportunity to reach his life goal. Above all, he wanted to produce the best Japanese whisky.

Nikka Whisky

Later, he was transferred away from his distillery to a beer factory in Yokohama owned by Torii. This wasn’t a pleasant transfer for him, but he stayed in the company for a while. After all, he had accepted the obligation of remaining there for at least 10 years. In fact,  that’s a big commitment. In 1934, Masataka resigned from Kotobukiya and established his own company, called Dainippon Kajuu KK. The company set up in Hokkaido, the northernmost big island in Japan, where the climate is most similar to that of Scotland. In 1940, he introduced his first distilled whisky, Nikka Whisky. Here, you can read our review of this blend.

Conclusion

This is a short Hibiki history, so you can have some idea about this great spirit. Extraordinary men take extraordinary actions to reach their mission and they find joy in fulfilling it. Creating art doesn’t take place only on a canvas, there are many possible different areas. After all, there is always room for perfection and thanks to these men and their pursuit, we now can choose from some of the finest whiskeys on earth. To achieve this, there must be something greater in the background, the harmony that rounds up every step. Their philosophy and work with nature made the foundation to reach the stars. In conclusion, Hibiki history is rich and inspiring. Maybe you will respect it more next time when you will buy it.

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Perfection in Details

The HIBIKI bottle’s label is made of handmade Echizen paper and bears the word HIBIKI in Japanese, written in calligraphy. It’s a 24-sided bottle, which represents the 24 hours in a day, the 24 seasonal divides in a year and the number of months during which HIBIKI is matured. Coupled with a deep purple band wraps around the neck of the bottle, the color which is considered noble in Japanese culture. The packaging of Japanese whiskies is mostly clean and driven by perfection. The bottles and the design themselves urge you to respect the product before you even start pouring it. And there is another thing which will make you respect it: the price.

Price of HIBIKI

HIBIKI has few pricey products in its collection, but prices of this spirit increased not just because of the world demand for Japanese whiskies, but also because of Hollywood. In 2003, the movie Lost in Translation featured Bill Murray playing an aging actor who is in Tokyo to tape a commercial for a leading brand of Japanese whisky, Suntory.

In one scene, he is making a commercial for HIBIKI and the scene is funny because of the bad translation. The translator didn’t give Bob the right instructions and the director wasn’t so happy with the result. The film in itself was a huge success nevertheless and HIBIKI was out of stock in a matter of days. There is also another Murray who is responsible for the high prices of Japanese whiskies: Jim Murray.

Hollywood and Hibiki

He is a widely followed British critic who, in 2014, crowned the Suntory’s 2013 Yamazaki Sherry Cask, a single-malt whisky, “Whisky of the Year”. Today in the United States, the demand for this whisky is crazy: according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, in 2011, less than 50,000 liters of Japanese whisky were imported to the USA – in 2016, this number jumped to more than 1.1 million liters! With demand also the price went sky high. In 2015 you would pay 4,000 JPY ($35) for a HIBIKI 17 0,70l. Today is the average price of the same whisky, 41,000 JPY ($360). The record in Japan stores was on 21. of May this year. For one bottle was an average price of almost 72,500 JPY ($642)! Here you can check the price chart.

HIBIKI Japanese Harmony Master’s Select

The HIBIKI  whisky was born in 1987 when Master Blender Keizo Saji decided to develop a blended whisky that reflected the sophistication of Suntory’s techniques. The Chief Blender in that time, Koichi Inatomi, sampled and tasted aged malt whiskies from one million casks at Suntory. The final flavor was blended by thirty distinctive malt and mellow grain whiskies. The HIBIKI Japanese Harmony Master’s Select was released in late 2015 for the global travel retail market. It carries no age statement and is bottled at 43% ABV. We found a statement saying this is a blend of ten different malt and grain whiskies that have aged in 5 different casks at the Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita distilleries.

My Tasting Notes

Aromas are pretty sweet: we perceived some vanilla, plums with intense florals and orange zest at the back. This sweetness is well combined with the woody aromas cinnamon and musk, which is quite delicate and tempting. The flavor has a lot of body and it is not what you’d expect. One can taste oak, some orange bitterness, and spiciness of black pepper. Sure, there is a lot of sweetness, but it is top notch, especially considering this blend is for High Ball. The earthy flavor is well mixed with a smoky one, but not too much, just slightly smoky, you will not lose your floral and fruity taste. The finish is not long, more likely medium with some woody Sherry cask and a nice sweetness at the back.

Personally, we like this one a lot.  We haven’t tried the 17-year-old yet, but we think this is a good introduction to this style, a nice balance with a lot of fruits and wood rounded with vanilla. We can imagine drinking this on a big block of hand-carved ice. Well done Suntory!

HIBIKI Japanese Harmony Master’s Select Review Card

• 9.2/10
  PACKAGING – BOTTLE – 9.2/10
• 9.3/10
  ON THE NOSE – 9.3/10
• 9.1/10
  ON THE PALATE– 9.1/10
• 8.5/10
  FINISH – 8.5/10
• 8.7/10
  VALUE – 8.7/10

Hibiki Origami Edition

Hibiki Origami Edition is my Sunday project. I love limited editions of all liqueurs and Hibiki is no exception. There are on the market some amazingly nice bottles of limited editions and I can only hope to get one in the near future. However, Hibiki Origami Limited Edition is my fiction edition and to be honest, it would be amazing. I can imagine an animation with origami cranes and a nice box in the same style with a real Hibiki Origami inside. For this reason, the paper would be recycled and colored with watercolors in the distressed technique.

Why Origami? Because it’s also a Japanese art, where you need a lot of patience, skills, and imagination. Just like Hibiki, where they are using all these attributes to make a true harmony in a bottle. Let me know what do you think about this “Hibiki Origami Edition” and comment at our Facebook post. Kanpai!

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Not Anymore Family Bussines

Anyway, there is no reason to panic as spirits from this house are amazing and their philosophy is still the same. They are still using smaller stills with the unique shape for maximizing the contact with copper. Those extraordinary stills have appeared on the back of a Bank of Scotland £10 banknote. Yes, those beauties really are special. The distillery is surrounded by nature in the Speyside area, which is famous for its great spirit makers. They definitely used this untouched nature to their advantage. Picking only the best raw materials for making the best single malt spirit.

Macallan Fake

Macallan 1851 Inspiration is NAS (No Age Statement) single malt whisky with an interesting story in the background. The Company bought some antique pieces of Macallans bottles from 1841, 1851, 1861, 1874, and 1876. The fast tests were positive, so they did a series of replicas. Even the flask is a replica of that time and this story would have been a success if there hadn’t been complications in the year 2000. The ‘antiques’ they based those on turned out to be a fake… Laboratory tests had shown that 70% of their old ones were fakes. And the biggest fun is that those fakes used to be 10 years old so… The production of replicas was stopped but they started to produce inspiration instead and those are rare. Most of them are sold in Taiwan. We were lucky to try some of this great spirit and if it wasn’t inspired by the original 1851, we would like to imagine it so.

My Tasting Notes

The color of Macallan 1851 Inspiration is really deep amber and the direct sun into it shows its cut. On the nose, this whisky is nicely balanced with vanilla and woody notes with some fresh citrus. Very fruity notes are supported by the elegant taste of some exotic fruit – I’d say mango and resin. On the palate somehow I didn’t find expected fruitiness. However, from behind, I could taste some roasted chestnuts and vanilla. The woody character is not too strong and it is nicely composed with some fresh notes. The aftertaste is medium long with some spiciness and oaky taste.

Macallan 1851 Inspiration Review Card

• 9/10
  PACKAGING – BOTTLE – 9/10
• 9/10
  ON THE NOSE – 9/10
• 8.6/10
  ON THE PALATE– 8.6/10
• 8.7/10
  FINISH – 8.7/10
• 7.7/10
  VALUE – 7.7/10

Conclusion

This sample for sure is not an 1851 replica, but, O.K., we would give it than a 1990 replica. It’s smooth and it shouldn’t be forgotten. Not because of the story behind it, it is still the Macallan after all! Well, the downside of this great bottle is a price, which is in my opinion too high. At pricey 700 euros, you should get some more fun from this distillery.

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