Let’s see if it can surprise me and that hopefully in a positive way

Appearance:
Color: light golden color. Not very oily. The streaks on the glass are thin and flow down medium fast I would say.

Nose: 83/100 points
At the very first moment I get a medical alcoholic sting but that doesn’t last very long. Then a nice sweet note shows up but only for a short time. It changes then to notes from light yellow fruits, some citrus fruits, caramel and a bit of malt. After a while a very small piece of milk chocolate shows up garnished with a tiny portion of dried fruits. As all flavors in the nose those also stay only for a short time. Same happens with the oak flavors which show up at the end. All in all the flavors of the nose are quite short living, but repeat themself over and over again.

Taste: 82/100 points
Smooth start with fruity flavors. Yellow light fruits, some little dried fruits. Sweetness kicks in combined with toffee and some vanilla. Then some citrus fruits show up. A bit tart oaky notes appears but luckily not too tart. Very round, maybe a bit too round and not that exiting on the palate.

Finish: 81/100 points
very sweet start at the beginning. then changing in slightly tart malty oaky flavors. In the background some fruits. Then quite fast the flavors are gone and a light alcoholic aftertaste kicks in.

Conclusion:
I expected it to be more round and smooth. The nose appears quite complex from the flavors one can find. However those flavors are very short living but repeat themself over and over again. Still not intense enough to impress me. Unfortunately on the palate it doesn’t get better. Even not talking about the finish. However I would describe it as an easy drinker. I will revisit it again and pair it with a cigar to see how it will effect the flavors.

Overall I give this Whisky: 82/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Suntory	Cask/Batch#	n/a
Series	Old Zodiac Series Year of the Ox	Vintage	n/a
Region	Japan	Bottled	2021
Bottler	Distillery Bottling	Age	NAS
Type	Blend	Non-Cillfiltered	no
Casks	n/a	Natural color	no
ABV	43%	Whiskybase ID:	199892

Remarks:
well, like the name “Special Reserve” suggest that it is special, it is indeed something special. But not in an amazing way, rather it is special disappointing and very special round and short in the finish. Was nice to try during an event but I wouldn’t get a big bottle of it. Also I don’t need to have it again.

Overall I rate this Whisky:

• Nose:
  to me it feels very alcoholic in the nose for just 40% ABV.
  Sweet and malty in it’s flavors with a few fruits but the alcoholic stinging is a bit annoying
  
  
• Taste:
  very smooth, soft and round. Seet with a few fruits as well as the malt again. Nothing wrong here but also nothing special.
  
  
• Finish:
  wow that was very short. went down damn quick.
  Not many flavors to be found here. Just a bit dry at the end.
  

Review written on 2024-04-01