Suntory Toki

While Suntory allows its malt whisky stocks to matured to be able to have the age statement Yamazaki and Hakushu return to the world stage, we have to settle for young(er) stuff. So Toki saw the light of day, composed with (probably a lot of) Chita grain and some of both malts. Toki can be translated many ways – time, hour, moment, occasion – so probably means ‘for every occasion’ or ‘for every moment of the day’ in this case. Very light, but quite pleasant nose on breakfast pastry, citrus, vanilla, apple and a hint of banana. The body is quite light, but on the palate it is clear that the grain whisky calls the shots. Young and fresh, prickly, but the fruit has the hardest time to show itself. Again white fruit with a touch of lime, maybe even some peach. The malts give it a sense of depth, but you have to look for it. A touch spicy and bitter. The finish is short, very sweet and a bit spicy. Simple blend that probably works good in a cocktail or mizuwari. Very friendly priced: only 30 EUR. And much better than the competition’s Nikka Days.