Hanyu 2000 Ichiro's Malt - Chibidaru 12 Y.O. for TIBS #349 (bot. 2012)

sample from a friend

Nose: Lovely stuff. Green apple, tart, cinnamon, sweet ginger, sandalwood, soft spice wood, and burning incense stick. Waxy apple juice and extremely rich, honeyed caramel. A smattering of tart and bright red berries. There's a slightly off note in the apple, but it's a tiny blip in a sea of deliciousness. (with water) Oh yes, this is really even bigger: more spice, more incense, more soft wood, creamy dessert vanilla sauce. A little less fruit and sharp apples, displaying real finesse and precision.

Palate: Cinnamon apple pie. Caramel and cinnamon (soft and just enough to notice) on crust and vanilla creme. A dessert malt, and even a little rubber tyre. Ash and rather graphite. Leaf and a mossy verdant forest. The oak is really just a delight. How often can we say that? I'm really digging it. (with water) More bitter and a touch oaky/waxy, even a funky sour apple note. Really more of the same.

Finish: The same funky green apple pie note, some spice, and soft wood. The sour funk is more prominent. Neat, this is excellent, and the nose is even better with water. The funk was just a bit loud, but as part of a grand whole.

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