Hibiki 17

Posted on by Scotch N Sniff

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Hibiki 17 year old

What?! Another Blend??!! That’s correct ladies and gentlemen. The Hibiki 12 year old’s older brother shows up and definitely brings its “A” game.

COLOR: Orange amber with red edges
NOSE: Deeper oak right off the bat, then gobs of caramelized sugar and stewed red fruit like plums, raspberries and fuji apples. Even with all those heavier aromas you can still dive through and find the light floral and vanilla accents. The addition of water brings a slight rubbing alcohol nose but the sweet freshly baked sticky buns brings you back for more.
PALATE: Much more woody than the 12 year old, astringent around the extremities of the tongue. Hold onto the glorious liquid for 17 seconds before swallowing and you’ll be rewarded with plums, vanilla, spice and candied orange peel.
FINISH: Beautiful length to this spirit. It’s a wonderful blend, tasting like you just bit into a red delicious apple

There aren’t many distributors of the Hibiki 17, but going through Master of Malt will bypass any issues of not being able to find it in your area…unless you can’t have spirits delivered to your state…sorry. This is a great blend and if you like the Hibiki line then you should definitely add it to your cabinet.

Hibiki 12

Posted on by Scotch N Sniff

Hibiki 12Hibiki 12 year

COLOR: Pale golden with bright edges of orange
NOSE: a delicious bowl of rum soaked raisins, floral honeysuckle, vanilla, sweet citrus candy like what your grandma would have in a bowl on the coffee table. Water opens up flavors of red kool-aid, ripe red plums and sweeter vanilla extract.
PALATE: Smooth, oh so smooth. A slight oak fills the mouth and then a room full of leather. Spices and light smoke with a finish of sherry. Round and very enjoyable. As it rolls down it coats the tongue. Delicious.
FINISH: The finish is medium long with a lingering light smoke at the end. The spice runs off quickly and your mouth is left with melon fruits and honey Oh THE HONEy.
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I know what you’re thinking…A BLEND?!?!?! Yes, a delicious and amazingly round and full blend. If you’ve ever had some preconceived notion of blends not standing up to single malts, please, check your notions at the door and give this one a go. The Japanese pride themselves in striving to be the best at whatever it is they do. And when it comes to this scotch, they do not fail. If you have Hibiki in your area, I urge you to pick a bottle up. If your liquor store doesn’t carry it, ask them to. Plus it comes in a gorgeous 24 sided bottle with a glass topper, which gussies up any liquor stash. You’ll need to be able to restock your liquor cabinet once it’s all gone. I have heard that they’ll be bringing the 17 to the US market later on this year.
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#Scotchns #Whisky #scotchNsniff #CNPF
#Hibiki #Suntory

Ardbeg Uigeadail

Posted on by Scotch N Sniff

ArdbegArdbeg Uigeadail (NAS)

COLOR: Rust and the color of aged Sauternes
NOSE: An initial blast of beef jerky, wet tobacco, peat…PEAT!! After getting past all of the in your face BBQ’d meats you find vanilla extract, light citrus and creamy caramel
PALATE: Intense peaty introduction opening up to a rich smoked pork, wood charcoal and campfire near the sea.
FINISH: Long lingering finish with layers of smoke. So long in fact that after brushing my teeth and going to bed, I woke up to campfire smoke in my mouth like I’d been smoking a cigar from my wedding night.
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My initial reaction to the Uigeadail was that I hated it. The intense smoke, peat and bbq’d meats turned me off completely. I pondered, while sitting in a leather chair and with an inquisitive look on my face, and gave it another try. I think that after the opened bottle had a chance to breath and oxidize a little, its intensity calmed down and became palatable. It’s not my main squeeze but I think it’s a great example of a peated, smoky malt. Enjoy.
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#Scotchns #Whisky #scotchNsniff #CNPF
#Ardbeg #Uigeadail