Flavour profile is AI-assisted and still being refined.
Tasting
How it drinks
Sight
Pale gold with slight warmth; similar in weight to the Bourbon Barrel but with a faint haze suggesting peat phenols; fine legs
Nose
The companion piece to Yamazaki Tsukuriwake Peated Malt — same Suntory peated malt, different distillery character beneath it. Where Yamazaki's peated version added herbal smoke to fruit (peach, strawberry), Hakushu's adds herbal smoke to GREEN (apple, mint, cucumber). The result is dramatically different: Hakushu's peated malt smells like walking through a mountain forest during a controlled burn — green leaves, bamboo smoke, charred herbs, pine resin, and smouldering underbrush. Not the gentle campfire of the 12yo or the bonfire of the Heavily Peated, but something in between — a forest intentionally cleared by fire, with new growth already emerging. Sweet smoke, honey, and roasted green tea. Fresh mint persists through the smoke
Palate
The medium-peated Hakushu — positioned between the Distiller's Reserve (8 ppm) and Heavily Peated (15 ppm) in smoke intensity. The Tsukuriwake framework reveals how Hakushu's forest base spirit interacts with controlled-intensity peat. Green apple, cucumber, and mint provide the familiar Hakushu freshness beneath bamboo smoke, charred herbs, and sweet peat. The smoke character is herbal and resinous — pine needle, cedar, and dried sage in the flames. Honey, roasted barley, and roasted green tea add sweetness. The mouthfeel is medium, slightly oily. Ginger and white pepper. Comparing this directly to Yamazaki's Tsukuriwake Peated Malt reveals how distillery DNA shapes peat expression: same peat, different spirit, different result. Hakushu is greener and more herbal; Yamazaki is fruitier and softer
Finish
Medium-long finish with bamboo smoke, roasted green tea, and charred herbs fading through mint and green apple. The green character of Hakushu persists through the smoke — the forest survives the fire. Cleaner and more herbal than the Heavily Peated, with better integration of smoke and spirit
Tasting notes are AI-assisted and still being refined.
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