Whisky I've Drank: Suntory Whisky "Kakubin"

By Jan van den Ende
Country: Japan
Brand: Suntory Kakubin Yellow Label
Type: Blended Japanese Whisky
Age: NAS
Alcohol: 40%
Colour: Dark Golden
Nose: 

The Alcohol is quite present so please give the Kakubin enough time in the glass to open up. The Kakubin is immediately recognisable as a Japanese whisky as the Aroma is quite distinctive. I'm nosing on the edge of the glass as the Alcohol remains strong. I find Floral and Fruity tones, young Grain Alcohol, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Plums, Sweet Candies, young Bourbon, Nuts, Cinnamon, Vanilla, light Honey, light Coconut Water and a little Citrus. It's nothing special but better than your average cheap Scottish Blend. I would rate it even higher if not for the sharp Alcohol that spoils a bit of the fun.
Taste: 

Watery, Sugary Sweet, Edgy and slightly Bitter with Grain Alcohol, Oak, Cereals, light Vanilla, light Honey, Grapefruit, light Pepper and light Ginger. What a disappointment after the reasonable Nose.
Finish: 

Short, Sugary Sweet and Watery with light Honey, Grapefruit, Nuts, Nut Shells, Grains, light Vanilla, Oak, light Pepper and Ginger.
Added Water completely kills this Blend. It does not even taste like Whisky anymore.
Rating: 73
Nose: 20 – Taste: 17.5 - Finish: 17 – Overall: 18.5
General Remarks: 

The Kakubin (Square Bottle) Blend has been produced by Suntory since 1937 and contains a.o. Malt Whisky from Yamazaki and Hakushu. These whiskies mature in a variety of casks that include Ex-Sherry and Ex-Wine casks. It's the best selling Whisky in Japan as it's very cheap there at around 20 US Dollars. It's mainly used in cocktails though such as the Highball. The marks on the bottle are made to look like the shell of a turtle, the Japanese symbol for a long and prosperous life. Strangely enough the name Kakubin is not at all mentioned on the bottle. There are two more versions of the Kakubin available in Japan, the White and the Black Label. I will try to get samples somehow. Prices vary substantially between 20 and 60 US Dollars depending on where you live (September 2015). In Japan, the Price/Quality ratio is okay but no way I would spend over 30 US Dollars to get this Blend.
Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average
Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay
Conclusion: 

Most Japanese use the Kakubin Yellow Label as a cheap ingredient for their cocktails, especially the Highball. That's the only reason why it's the best selling Whisky in Japan. Because it does not have sufficient Aromas and Flavours to qualify as a sipping Whisky. The Nose is not bad although the strong Alcohol spoils a bit of the fun. On the Palate and in the Short Finish however, the Kakubin is Watery, Sugary Sweet, Edgy and totally unsatisfactory. I got this bottle as an anniversary gift and I'm now calculating how many Highballs I need to drink before this bottle goes to the graveyard. I hope I like Highballs!

Whisky I've Drank: The Black Grouse

By Josh Peters
The Black Grouse is a peated version of The Famous Grouse. Being a blend they didn’t actually peat the barley specifically used for this whisky, like with a single malt, but instead have taken fully matured Islay whisky and blended it with some Famous Grouse. Originally created for the Swedish market, The Black Grouse was released in 2007.
There is some speculation about where the peated Islay whisky comes from with some folks thinking it’s Laphroaig, others thinking it’s Caol Ila and I even saw a post or two saying it was Ardbeg or Lagavulin. We can safely eliminate Ardbeg and Lagavulin from the mix due to how protective their owners are of these whiskies. For similar reasons it’s highly unlikely to be Laphroaig which leaves us with who I think it is. Diageo’s peated whisky work horse – Caol Ila. There’s no official documentation to support that claim, but with the state of the industry it seems to fit the best.
The Black Grouse Info:
Region: Scotland
Blender: Matthew Gloag & Sons
Age: NAS
ABV: 40%
Price: $30*
The Black Grouse Review
EYE
Caramel ice cream topper
NOSE
Noticeably more malt than the the regular Famous Grouse with notes of dark fruit, tropical fruit, grain, char, butterscotch and an acidic pop. Despite having Islay whisky blended in with it I’m not picking much up.
PALATE
Dried apricots, char and tropical fruit initially dominate the palate. Grain whisky – towing bourbon-like notes of caramel and vanilla – comes through followed by notes of malt, toasted grains and oily nuts with a bit of smoke.
FINISH
Medium fade of dark fruit, malt, caramel syrup and char.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Decent balance, medium body and a round smooth texture.
OVERALL
The Black Grouse is a noticeable upgrade over the Famous Grouse with a richer character and offering up more in the way of aromas and flavors, but it’s muddled. Neither the aroma nor palate are crisp, but I still liked sipping on it nonetheless and it achieved the goal of any good blend which is cohesion; a unified experience that makes it an innocuous sipper and cocktail whisky.
So if you’re going to go with a Grouse I’d suggest making it a black one.
SCORE: 83/100