Pa. liquor stores offering up several varieties of Japanese whisky
Pennsylvania’s Fine Wine & Good Spirits store is adding some international flavor to the whisky section this month, with several Japanese varieties available at select stores and online.
The crown jewel in the group, at least based on price, is an 18-year-0ld Hakushu single-malt peated whisky created to celebrate Suntory Whisky’s 100th anniversary. The distiller’s notes indicate “a spicy, peppery welcome, a slow wave of clean smoke that deepens as it reveals its herbaceous notes and green fruity undertones.”
The price tag is a little less flowery — $1,499 per bottle. If we’re talking about standard ounce-and-a-half shots, that’s about $88 per shot.
Japanese whisky is distinguished from other types in several ways. It is made primarily from barley, and is blended to be lighter and more fragrant than Scotch whisky, according to UptownSpirits.com. Japanese distillers also regularly make use of fruits and other essences such as rose petals or cherry blossoms.
Perhaps you’re looking to spend a little less. For $74.99, you can pick up a bottle of Ohishi Whiskey, aged for a decade inside a former brandy cask. It is described as having sweet and floral aromas with flavors of black licorice and spiced gumdrops.
Additional varieties are on offer from distillers including Nikka Miyagikyo and Kaiyo. Individual bottles range in price from $59.99 up to the nearly $1,500 Hakushu.
For more, see FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
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