Hatozaki Finest Japanese Whisky Review
In-Depth Review
Hatozaki. One of the new entrants into the Japanese whisky scene, this new brand has shown up all over my local area. From big name liquor stores to small time grocery marts, it seems that Hatozaki’s distribution network is massive. But if you’ve never heard of them, I wouldn’t blame you. It’s easy to overlook the relatively non-descript bottle: with the hallmark Japanese writing and flowy design that telegraphs that this is Japanese whisky we are talking about. Whiskies from Japan have become hallowed, difficult to find, and extraordinarily expensive subgenre of the whisky world that many Americans have been clamoring to try.
But if you try to do a bit of research on Hatozaki you won’t find much. As with many of these brands from Japan, much of their whisky is sourced and not much information is made publicly available. But as standards have begun to tighten as to what can be called “Japanese whisky” I wonder how many of these brands will survive. So does this 40% ABV, extremely lightly colored (almost alarmingly so), and widely available whisky represent a low-risk way to get into the Japanese whisky scene? Well let’s dive in and find out.
Age: NAS but up to 12 years old (apparently)
ABV: 40%
Cask: Unknown
MSRP: $43.99
Distillery Name: Kaikyo Distillery
Review Date: 8/14/22
Color: Very pale straw – almost near “new make” level of color in the glass.
Nose: The nose starts with a mixture of fruity and floral that quickly transitions into a brittle metallic note. The graininess comes through strong, with strong whiffs of ethanol even at 40% ABV. As it settles in the glass, lime and agave come through, layered on top of a strange artificial sugar note. Feels like a young blend of grain whiskies.
Palate: The palate is so light is almost imperceptibly soft. I know I am drinking whisky – but just barely. There are notes of lemon zest, honeydew, and almond extract. It definitely leans on the sweet side but remains fairly simple and straightforward. The mouthfeel is watery and the heat is subdued.
Finish: Medium length finish - surprising considering how light the palate was. But it’s helped by the strong peppery notes and heat that comes through as the finish dissipates.
Final Thoughts: This is a weird one. Hatozaki officially says that this whisky was aged “for up to 12 years in barrels”, but I find that hard to fathom. How could a whisky aged for any significant length of time be this light and this soft? I suspect the casks were either extremely tired or a very small amount of aged whisky was blended with significantly younger to make this. Either way, the experience with Hatozaki is fine – nothing explicitly wrong with it, but ultimately feels like a watered down whisky designed to make highballs and made to capitalize on the Japanese whisky boom. I would happily take Suntory Toki over this 10 out of 10 times.
Score: 82
