Whisky: Yoichi 15 Year

Country/Region: Japan

ABV: 45%

Age: 15 Year

Nose: Mellow and sweet, Manuka honey, autumn leaves, herbal tea, subtle smoke, salt, wood-burning stoves, and iron.

Palate: Medium to light-bodied, dried grass, pipe tobacco smoke, sand dunes, subtle maritime salt, driftwood, worn leather, autumn leaves, wispy chimney smoke, and faint coffee.

Finish: Long and subtle with Manuka honey, dried grass, and orange cream candies.

Score: 6+

Mental Image: 8-Bit Autumn Train Station

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was gentle and inviting with Manuka honey and autumn leaves. Earthy and grassy elements came together with lapsang souchong tea and more subtle notes of smoke, wood-burning stoves, sea salt, and slightly metallic iron. Medium to light bodied, the profile was bolder than the nose but still subtle as it took the palate on a coastal tour past waving beachgrass, sand dunes, cobalt-colored seas, and old driftwood bonfires. Hints of worn leather, pipe tobacco, orange, and autumn foliage arrived at the end with wispy chimney smoke and faint coffee. The finish was long, though quiet and restrained, with Manuka honey, dried grass, and orange cream candies.

I love a good autumn-themed profile, and this Yoichi delivered in spades. The most striking thing about this was just how good the current non-age statement release has been in comparison. That bottle embodied a lot of the elements that made the 15-Year such a lovely whisky to sip on and has, for several years now, been the only widely available and affordable bottle of Yoichi on the market. The winds of change blew in during 2022, and the ten-year age statement returned; perhaps a harbinger for the return of the 15-year and a price correction? Well, one can hope!

Image Credit: Whisky.Auction