Yamazaki 1993/2006 ‘NBA Osaka Kita Private Choice’

Review by Nonjatta contributor - Serge Valentin

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"Yamazaki 1993/2006 ‘Private Choice’ (62%, OB, NBA Osaka Kita) A special bottling for the Nippon Bartenders' Association.
Colour: Gold.
Nose: Whiffs of dead leaves and cigarette tobacco, pine resin and putty. Let’s not try too hard, at 62% it would be a bit hazardous. With water: resinous and leafy indeed. Obvious notes of game, smoked tea (lapsang souchong), argan oil, putty, fern, moss, mushrooms… and a beautiful peat. Top notch on the nose, compact yet complex.
Mouth (neat): Rounder than expected, concentrated, certainly peaty. Peated pears and pineapples - should that be possible. This seems to be very, very good but again, let’s not take chances. With water: excellent! Unlike other any Scotch, blending resinous and peaty flavours most wonderfully. Again, hints of tinned pineapples. Finish: long and just a tad tannic – nothing embarrassing here.
Comments: The NBA know how to select a cask it seems. No wonder… Maybe it’s just a tad too mono-dimensional, but let’s not split hairs.
SGP:465 – 90 points." (Serge`s scoring system is explained on this page.)