Watashi Whisky is a Taiwanese bottler with interesting series like Things We Dared Not Do or Seven Catly Sins. Ha! I also noticed one bottling of Glenturret matured in a sherry cask from Fernando de Castilla, with Capybaras on the label. Crazy combination, too bad it wasn’t in our sample package.
They seem to have a good connection to Cask Le Sens, often grabbing a few cases of the same bottlings and attaching their own label, distributing to their own market. A very common practice in Asia.
More information about Watashi Whisky can be found on their website.
Glen Elgin 13 yo 2012 (56%, Watashi Whisky & Cask Le Sens 2025, first-fill Sauternes barrique #806484, 96 btl.)
Nose: sweet pear and banana candy, with ripe apricot, along with a good dose of malt loaf and baked crusts. Hints of blood orange, syrupy notes and white chocolate. Then vanilla and hints of butterscotch that make it slightly bloated.
Mouth: sweet and spicy. There’s a big caramel side to it, mixed with toffee and milk chocolate. More bready notes, along with brown sugar. Then peppery notes, nutmeg, a hint of coffee bitterness and roasted hazelnuts. The oak gets a little loud. Hints of liquorice, Seville orange and earthy ginger in the end, even a slightly boozy edge.
Finish: medium, on butterscotch, gingery heat, pepper and herbal bitters.
I expected a more elegant dram (even though Sauternes easily dominates a whisky). There’s a malty and caramelly side that seems a little overdone, and the woody character is quite firm as well. False start.
Glen Garioch 13 yo 2011 (57,8%, Watashi Whisky & Cask Le Sens 2025, first-fill bourbon barrel #3732, 96 btl.)
Nose: a nice chalky note and gristy quality comes out, typical of the distillery. Here as well it gets a little overtaken by overdone sweetness and vanilla ice cream. Then stewed apples, some waxiness and more custardy notes. Light overtones of white flowers.
Mouth: a rather creamy profile again, although it mixes nicely with the more chalky and waxy elements. Ripe pear, apple eau-de-vie,; lemon candy and a hint of grapefruit. Then a little chlorophyll and a grassy edge, along with white pepper and green tea. Candied ginger too.
Finish: medium, slightly drying, with a fresh woody note, grass and some mineral notes.
I had this one before since part of the cask was bottled in the Whisky Concerto series. It’s a very natural malt, and in this second tasting the typical chalkiness and minerality comes out more. Overall quite nice. Score: 87/100
Longmorn 16 yo 2009 (60,8%, Watashi Whisky 2025, first-fill bourbon barrel #336)
Nose: vanilla sweetness is becoming a theme. Nice oiliness too. Underneath there is a lot of stewed pear, gooseberry and melon, a little sunflower oil and bailed hay. Then some banana notes, as well as more grassy elements. Whiffs of chalk and mint as well.
Mouth: barley sweetness up front, more breads, syrupy pears and lemon candy, as well as some brighter acidity of lime juice. The combination of creamy white chocolate and this acidity is really great. Then a big grassiness again, moving towards ginger and pepper. A little raw perhaps (Asian ABV). Water helps to bring out a hint of pineapple and honey, as well as a pinch of salt.
Finish: medium, with syrupy fruits, citrus and hazelnut cream.
Adding water is obligatory here: it brings out more complexity and simply a better balance. A very pleasurable Longmorn, which significantly improved over time. Score: 88/100