Tasting: Hanyu Ten of Clubs Japanese Malt

Okay, cutting it fine to get this out on time, but I’m determined – so here we go (this might look familiar to readers of the last post):

Introducing (drum roll, please) Hanyu Distillery – Ichiro’s Card Series: Ten of Clubs (polite applause).

[Editor’s Note: Nerd info follows – normal folk can scroll down past the photo to the next bit]

Product details:  Cask  #9032;  Distilled 1990, bottled 2008.  Matured in Hogshead.  Finished in Pedro Ximemez sherry butt.  Abv 52.4%.  576 bottles.

[Editor’s Note:  The preceding information was copied off the back of the bottle’s label.  Any nerds who meet Tim in the future should not be disappointed if , when questioned, he fails to remember any salient facts about this, or any other specific bottlings you’re interested in.  He’s not a proper nerd at all.]

Hanyu Ten of Clubs Japanese Malt

N:  Rich brown sugar, giving way to summer berries, treacle, burnt toast, pleasant oak aromas of dried bark,  polished wood, hint of milky coffee, melted sugar, faint cocoa notes.  Appetising.  Develops very nicely.  Opens up and becomes more grassy with water.

P:  Rich and full, mouthcoating.  Big oak presence, but not too overbearing.  Sweet, with the flavours of the nose, plus ginger, a more noticeable maltiness and a sponge cake or castor sugar character.  Water takes the edge off and lifts a nutty character.

F:  Good length, tweedy, getting slightly dusty, hint of wet newspaper.

C:  An altogether more restrained and subtle malt than some Japanese stuff we’ve tried recently (which is good), but still with plenty of character and depth.  A malt to contemplate the evenings with.

Right, gotta fly – have a good weekend!

Cheers,

Tim

ps A special Thank You to Warren, who is sending me some Octomore Futures in the post:  The Mega Peat Face-Off  tasting is on!!