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"One for no age statement naysayers... Eloquent & beautiful." - whiskyadvocate.com Back in 2015, Nikka announced they were discontinuing their age statement and No Age Statement (NAS) releases for the Yoichi and Miyagikyo labels and consolidating them into two new bottlings. These whiskies have now arrived in Australia. Two NAS versions that differ slightly to the previous versions now represent the entire portfolio. It was yet another move that triggered a buying rush. Reports have it that Tokyo is now pretty much out of age statement Japanese whiskies, unless you visit bars or auction houses. Nikka's reasons for the radical new strategy are now familiar. They simply have no old stocks to sell. Decades ago, both local and world demand for Japanese malts was low, so few barrels were being laid down for extended periods. Stefan Van Eycken, writing for www.nonjatta.com explains "...there were years, at both Yoichi and Miyagikyo distillery, when the barrels laid down for maturation could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The ‘stock shortage’ is not an excuse or a PR stunt – it’s very real. Sources within Nikka have said that it is ‘likely’ that age-statement single malts will be brought back in 5 or 6 years’ time. No official statement to that effect has been made for the simple reason that doing so – in Japan – would be interpreted as a promise (which could come back to haunt them in 6 years’ time)." The dropping of age statements doesn't always translate into a drop in quality. Early reviews for both releases have been very positive. Evidently, Chief blender Tadashi Sakuma has risen to the challenge of creating a great assemblage from a restricted inventory.

Fuji whiskey was born out of a joint venture in 1972 between Kirin Brewery, Chivas brothers and Seagram and Sons to identify the optimal site for a new whisky distillery in Japan. The water in this whisky comes from snowmelt run-off from Mount Fuji, which takes about 50 years to cycle. A proprietary yeast is used for fermenting the various grains over a 72 hour fermentation period. Three distillation formats are employed: column (lighter style), batch kettle (medium style) and pot still (heavy style). The whiskey is aged in medium to high char ex bourbon barrels, refill and virgin oak. It is non–chill filtered and bottled at 46% ABV.

Kavalan’s Distillery Select series showcases the fine art of blending and the exquisite cask selection of Taiwan’s premier distillery. This expression No. 2 is an enticingly smooth drop, deeply aromatic with an irresistible floral and herbal complexity that delivers the delicious tranquility of the forest.

Pearl Red CIZHEN - 9 years BaiJiu Pearl Red CiZhen sits on our top shelf as the pinnacle of our achievements in rice spirit making. It is a mellow-bodied rice spirit, and has a perfectly balanced taste. CiZhen represents our best 9-year-old vintage from our clay vessels, thus it has a prominent bouquet. From your very first sip, the tongue will gain a magical experience of mellowness and balance. The stately yellow packaging is befitting of CiZhen's status as the jewel of the Pearl Red crown. The bottle shape takes its cues from the more traditional Chinese rice spirit, and contains 500ml of our most precious liquid. With 21 standard drinks, each bottle has an alcohol volume of 52%. Pearl Red CiZhen is made with an age-old traditional technique and hand-made processes.

Pearl Red CiEn - 12years Baijiu Pearl Red CiEn sits on our top shelf as the pinnacle of our achievements in rice spirit making. It is a mellow-bodied rice spirit, and has a perfectly balanced taste. CiEn represents our best 12-year-old vintage from our clay vessels, thus it has a prominent bouquet. From your very first sip, the tongue will gain a magical experience of mellowness and balance. The stately red packaging is befitting of CiEn's status as the jewel of the Pearl Red crown. The bottle shape takes its cues from the more traditional Chinese rice spirit, and contains 500ml of our most precious liquid. With 21 standard drinks, each bottle has an alcohol volume of 51%. Pearl Red CiEn is made with an age-old traditional technique and hand-made processes.

Mt. Fuji Distillery was established and commissioned in 1973, while most other Japanese distilleries followed the whisky product ion method of Scotland, Fuji took influence from major whisk(e)y countries all around the world. The Distillery has a unique location being situated 2034ft above sea level, temperature and altitude play a significant role in the final product showcasing unique flavours of a single grain whiskey. Fuji distillery uses highly purified water direct from Mt. Fuji that is used across the entire production process. It is said to be a 50 year process from Mountain to Distillery going through natural purification along the way resulting in crystal clear, pure and clean water. FUJI SINGLE BLENDED WHISKY Fuji Single Blended is the embodiment of Fuji Gotemba's commitment to creating unique Whisky. Single Blended is a blend of malt and three different types of grain whisky produced at the one site; Fuji Gotemba. Master Blender, Jota Tanaka uses a combination corn, rye and malted barley distilled across doubler, column, kettle and pot stills. This creates flavor profiles similar to Scotch, American and Canadian style whiskies. Unlike most other distilleries the entire production process from massing to bottling happens at Fuji's distillery.

Mars Maltage Cosmo Blended Malt Whisky is an amber gold in colour. On the nose are hints of spicy stewed pears, walnut slices, and prunes. It is a light-to-medium bodied whisky with malt flavours and a smokey but sweet overlay. The finish is long with a mildly oily but spicy flavour. Mars Maltage Cosmo Blended Malt Whiskey is aged in sherry, bourbon, and American White Oak new casks. Cosmo is named after a mountain in the Japan Central Alps close to the Mars Whisky Distillery.

Hombo Shuzo Gensyu Yakusugi Shochu is crafted on the UNESCO heritage listed island called Yakushima south of Kyushu. Climate is very tropical and has beautiful clean soft water. It shows sweetness on the nose like mandarin, honey and fresh yoghurt. It has soft texture and is powerful impression at first followed by cleans sweet flavour with wonderful complex. In summer, enjoy this Shochu straight or over ice, or cold spring water. In winter, Shochu can be gently warmed or with a quality green tea.

Mars Cosmo is aged in Sherry, Bourbon, and American white oak casks. Cosmo, is the name of a mountain in the Japan Central Alps, closed to the Mars Shinshu distillery. This is a limited bottling of Cosmo, which has been extra-seasoned in red wine casks. Shiny ruby red colour is extracted from red wine casks. On the nose, fruitiness and warm spiciness are present. It has a soft round mouth feel, and Umami from the red wine cask interact very well with Cosmo's ripe fruit character with vanilla and cinnamon flavours as a result of further maturation in red wine casks. A long finish with elegant tannins and black tea.

Suntory are one of the giants of world whisky owning several of Japan’s nine active distilleries as well as Bowmore, Laphroig & Auchentoshan in Scotland and Kilbeggan and Cooley in Ireland. A truly global expression Suntory World Whisky AO is a whisky release which features whiskies from five different countries: Scotland, Ireland, the US, Canada, and Japan. The name “Ao” is translated to “blue” and refers to the color of the ocean. A vivid, elegant, yet deep profile, with a sweetness that gently pervades with a pleasantly sharp finish. A triumph of blending a selection of diverse, high quality whiskies into a seamless, thoughtful finished product.