Amahagan Yamazakura Wood Finish Limited Edition (2021) 70cl

Amahagan Yamazakura Wood Finish Limited Edition (2021) 70cl

A bottle of Amahagan World Malt Whisky, finished in Yamazakura cherry wood casks before being bottled at 47% ABV.

This Amahagan Yamazakura Wood Finish is a fantastic blend of malts from the up and coming Nagahama distillery. The distillery now has a number of whiskies in its range and they have been well received in Japan and beyond. This one brings the essence of “Yamazakura” – Yama meaning mountains and Sakura referring to Cherry Blossom trees – to the bottle. Refreshing aromas of wild cherry blossom combine with hints of incense, orange peel and black honey to create a fantastic overall drinking experience. A whisky well worth trying!

Nagahama is the smallest distillery in Japan, installed within the Nagahama Roman brewery and operational since 2016. It works with small alambic stills that are reminiscent of Arabic architecture. Single malts are called Nagahama but their blending experiments are spelled backwards: Amahagan.

Apart from the proper Japanese single malt, the distillery releases World Blended whisky as well as World Malt. It contains some of their own malt distilled at Nagahama but also imported malts. The f irst release dates back to 2018 and recently they presented the fourth edition from Yamazakura Wood (cherry tree wood). The fifth version is quite new, finished in sherry casks.

Tasting Notes

Nose: a juicy, fruity nose, on orange juice, apricots and plums. Rhubarb compote. Some vanilla notes, light biscuits perhaps. It reminds me of a young Glen Elgin for instance. Light hints of cherry blossom too, I’m (almost) sure it isn’t just the power of suggestion. Even whiffs of fabric softener appear (some of which have rather complex aromas these days).

Mouth: a similar idea of juicy fruits and bright floral notes. Pears and plums, with orange peels and hints of orange blossom. Vanilla custard. Hints of honey and light caramel sweetness. Then also a subtle touch of alcohol, which could be the portion of Nagahama new-make that went into this. Light peppery wood.

Finish: medium, on sweet wood, pepper and heathery notes.

This is not a bad first encounter with this distillery. It’s young, quite tasty and fresh, with a bright nose and a reasonably balanced palate. Of course the majority of this composition consists of sourced whisky, but they’re honest about it.

47% ABV

70cl

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