Dunbar

Update 28.12.2010: Atsushi Horigami at Bar Zoetrope has very kindly put me straight on whether or not this is a vatted malt or a pure malt. The Japanese classification on the label describes this as "Ikkyu", which, by definition, excludes pure malt and single malt.


Review by Nonjatta contributor - Dramtastic:

Dunbar Pure Malt (Kirin-Seagram). 42 per cent alcohol.
Nose: Plasticine, cardboard, glue, oak, orange, candle wax, licorice... urinal cakes.
Palate: Quite bitter, with Plasticine, peanut shells, liquorice, oak. I hesitate to say urinal cakes again, as this might imply I've tried them, but this, I imagine, is what they might taste like.
Finish: Short and bitter with Plasticine, glue, orange and liquorice. The orange and licorice does not redeem this. Overall, the flavours don't integrate well at all.
General comment: This doesn't taste or smell much like whisky, though the orange and liquorice may indicate some sort of Bourbon barrel influence. From nose to finish this is rather unpleasant. A complete misfire from Kirin.

Nonjatta note: It is not entirely clear from the label in the photo whether this is a blend or a pure malt. The marketing description however talks only about malts and so Dramtastic and I are going with the "pure malt" description. Not all of those malts are necessarily Japanese. The "Dunbar" name is clearly a Scottish reference, but the sketch on the label appears to be of Fuji-Gotemba distillery. It was bottled at Kirin's distillery some time before 2002 (it is labelled as "Kirin Seagram" whisky and the Kirin-Seagram Ltd. joint venture was renamed as Kirin Distillery Co., Ltd. in 2002.) I suspect it might be considerably older than that.