OHISHI TOKUBETSU RESERVE SHERRY CASKS 40.5% JAPANESE WHISKY

The Ohishi Whisky – Tokubetsu Reserve is the best bottle of Ohishi I’ve tried to date. Much better than their standard Ohishi and Ohishi Sherry that I tried before. Ohishi’s rice whisky lends to a more soft, round mouthfeel, which is pleasant, but the palate feels a bit unbalanced. It’s got some nice soft sweetness, toffee, raisins, but you also get some zesty ginger spice notes hitting and on the finish as well, even though that’s quite short. I’d be glad to drink a dram of Ohishi Tokubetsu Reserve if anyone offered it to me, but at $200 US a bottle, the value doesn’t seem to be there. Nose 77 Sherry bomb, plums, figs, vanilla. There’s a super sweet fragrance, perhaps from rice base? Taste 77 Raisins, sherry influence is apparent. The rice whisky has a softness in the mouth, it’s also spicy, with spiky ginger even though it's only 40.5% ABV. It’s got far more character and liveliness compared to the Takamine 8 Year (at 40% ABV) that I just tried the week before. Some toffee, vanilla sweetness as well. Finish 73 Short. Not as short as Takamine or GlenAllachie 12, but quite short. Some ginger spice on the finish, faint dried fruit, notes of dark chocolate.