As I would reveal at the end of the tasting when everyone would have made their final guesses, the third dram we tasted was the Yoichi Single Malt Sherry & Sweet. It is a distillery exclusive bottled at 55% abv, without age statement, in a 50 cl bottle. I paid 110€ on aution for this bottle, including 60€ of shipping cost as the seller was from Hong-Kong.
Colour:
We’re on old Bordeaux territory here. After a swirl, very small heads at first that take their time to fatten, then thick legs.
Nose:
Coldorak: Dunnage, red fruits but hard to discern, maybe a bit of rancio? I’m more on a sherried one here on the nose, but I’m not absolute about it. With water: the nose is more pepperish, fizzier.
Ainulindalë: It DOES smell like dunnage but I have trouble finding something else! Dunnage! then comes polish with a floral note I can’t quite place with a touch of lavender and a buttery side to it, and adding sandalwood to that and spices after a while. This is the sherried to me. (spoiler alert)
Alistair: A big dose of vanilla, settles down to very buttery shortbread and beautiful untreated, long ago sawn oak. There’s a bit of sherry funk to #LetsTrySomeWhisky Yoichi 2 but nothing too powerful. I’ve had a Sherry + Sweet before and I think it might’ve been more apparent on the palate – let’s see if this is it…
Brian: Initial nose: dunnage warehouse. Loads of musty bookshop / dunnage warehouse notes, a little damp grass and a hint of strawberries.
John: On the nose I’m getting Wine Gums! More oak and dunnage warehouses again – dusty… liking this one a lot! This is lovely stuff, transports you right back in the warehouse – fantastic!
Paul: Ah! I think I might have now changed my mind about 1. Interesting. Lots of dunnage, cinnamon, brown sugar, honey, bit of red fruit, but not loads. abv not hitting as hard as 1 either. I like this one a lot as well. I’m always open to being wrong, But I’m getting more sherry type stuff from this than 1, which also seemed sherried……I’m confused 🙂
Palate:
Coldorak: No doubt for me it’s the sherry and sweet. Usual 1st fill sherry arrival, cinnamon, spices, red fruits, with a creamy mouthfeel. A bit of pepper too and dark chocolate. With water, the palate gets drier and fruitier, with more oak as well. I think it swims very well.
Ainulindalë: Spices including curcuma, a damp mustiness yet pleasing all leading to dark chocolate, ginger, typical sherried notes. With water, it adds sandalwood, brings out the oak, layers out the chocolate a bit more with the flowers. Tastes very artistic to me – it’s that hard to describe.
Alistair: Now the sweetness! Red fruits, sherbet strawberries, ginger, dried fruits, chocolate orange, tinned bamboo shoots, polished oak. Absolutely fucking delicious – more please!
Brian: Yummy! what a lovely dram, sweet sherry and strawberry notes remind me of a dunnage warehouse. It’s a little drying and again that hint of smoke. Loads of red fruit – yeah!
John: The red fruits really come through on the palate and the ABV whilst not overpowering really carries the dram. The ABV on all of these drams has been very well contained, which points to some very considered distillation and excellent wood selection. 👏 I don’t know much about Japanese whisky but these have been great 👍
Paul: That seems a lot fruitier than the nose suggested, lots of red fruit, ginger bread! damp dunnage warehouse. Bit of cask char? Bitter chocolate. Very nice, the abv is there but its not harsh
Finish:
Coldorak: Long on sherry oak spices.
Ainulindalë: Big dark chocolate finish, lasting, lasting, lasting
Brian: The red fruit from the palate linger, a little milk chocolate and again that little hint of smoke. Yummy!
Alistair, John & Paul didn’t give notes about the finish this time. Alistair was too busy swearing of joy about this dram.
Rating:
Coldorak: 90/100
Ainulindalë: 88/100
Guesses so far:
Coldorak: Sherry & Sweet
Ainulindalë: The sherry
Alistair: Yoichi 3 is Sherry + Sweet – just awesome 👏
Brian: This one has got to be “Sherry & Sweet.”
John: Sherry and Sweet, all day long… lovely dram – thanks so much @Coldorak for sharing 🙏
Paul: The sherry thing?