In 2014 Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible crowned a whisky from Japan as the best whisky in the world. The whisky – Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013. The rest is history. Cue mass devastation of Japanese whisky stocks, cue empty warehouses of mature single malt, cue discontinuation of lines across the board, cue a worldwide crisis of Suntory’s liquid due to it’s new found fame. When the latest edition was released in 2016 demand was through the roof. So just what has caused a bottle which could be picked up for £200 in 2016 to now cost over £3,000 in 2019?
There were only 5000 bottles produced of this limited edition to satisfy the global market. The UK’s entire allocation was less than 100 of this widely anticipated release. Collectors wanted to have it in their collection, drinkers wanted to consume it and investors who knew very little about Japanese whisky wanted to profit from it. Let’s face it, you didn’t have to attain a bachelor’s degree in Master of Business Administration to make an informed decision as to whether this was a sound investment or not. You didn’t even have to know anything about anything other than read the Suntory press release, get caught up in the hype and have 200 quid to spare.
So what does this whisky actually taste like and does anyone drink a £3,000 whisky? Is it worth £3,000 to drink? Absolutely not (in our humble opinion), for £3,000 you could buy far superior whisky’s. In fact, you could buy 10 Glendronach 21’s, a Glengoyne 25 and a Macallan 25 Sherry Oak and still have change for a few distillery tours and a night out in Glasgow’s legendary whisky bars. For reference we do not encourage readers of this blog to drink all that alcohol and then go for a night out in Glasgow, unless you are from Glasgow that is. Having said all that it’s a wonderful dram to drink, whether it’s worth the money is speculation.
Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016 release tasting notes are:
Nose: Raisin, sun-dried tomato, clove, cocoa.
Palate: Deep, rich, sweet and sour, chocolate with hazelnuts.
Finish: Long, bittersweet, sour.
Overall: Deep richness, mellowness and complexity of flavours.
The world’s priciest cheese is made from a donkey and costs £1,000 per kilo, and the worlds ultra expensive caviar is £100,000 per tin. At roughly £500 per 25ml serving, if you are lucky enough to find a whisky bar who has an open bottle, you can sip this Japanese whisky while you enjoy your accompanying Austrian white gold caviar and Serbian donkey cheese!
You may not wish to drink this bottle though. Due to the scarcity of the bottle, the quality of the liquid inside and the diminishing number year on year, it could prove to be money well spent when the time comes to cash in. Subject to availabilty, Yamazaki 2016 you can buy here.
Please enjoy alcohol responsibly
