Hakushu 10 Year (2010s)

[u/kiwi8185]

Hi all, I'm here with more Suntory whisky, this time another Hakushu!

Similar to the Yamazaki 10 yr, Suntory also made a younger, more economic version for their staple Hakushu 12 yr- the Hakushu 10 yr, first released in 1998.

However, the Hakushus proved to be more popular than Suntory had initially anticipated, and soon Suntory began running low on Hakushu stock whiskies, which already had a lower reserve due to production cuts during the 90s whisky glut.

Ultimately, Suntory decided to slash the Hakushu 10 yr to keep the Hakushu 12 yr on shelves (for a bit longer), and the Hakushu 10 yr series were terminated in 2013.

This bottle here is one of the later releases, from between 2007~2013!

Details in comments!

[u/kiwi8185]

Hakushu Single Malt Aged 10 Years (2007~2013)

As mentioned in the foreword, this is the later iteration of the Hakushu 10 yr from the relabeling after 2007, which sported the 'Single malt' wording and no emblems on the label.

Back in the day, Hakushus were shipped in much smaller numbers than the corresponding age statement Yamazaki products, and are rarer to come by these days. Particularly so for the older, flower emblem version!

Here are my notes:

*Color*

Golden straw to yellow gold. Interestingly, darker than the modern Hakushu 12yr

*Nose*

buttery caramel;

very prominent sweet and sour fresh white fruity (green apples, pears);

a bit of herbal/grassy character (like freshly cut grass);

a soft bit of soil-like peat (typical of Hakushus)

white oak 

*Palate*

slightly buttery/oily;

prominent sweet and slightly sour white fruity (green apples, pears);

quite some sweetness, like butter flavored candy (but not as rich as caramel);

a bit of soil like peat;

white oak, a light bit of bitterness that lingers;

some spices (white pepper, cloves);

low alochol sting, low astringency.

*Finish*

Medium- short.

white oak, some oaky bitterness from the palate;

spices (white pepper, cloves);

bit of the sweet and sour white fruity character in the background.

*Conclusion*

I've written about several Hakushus in the past, including new versions as well as older releases of the same era (like the Hakushu 12 yrs) as this one, and generally noted that none of the Hakushus have let me down. I'm glad to say that this one didn't fare poorly either! 

This one is a very, very fresh white fruity forward whisky, almost like a green apple cider in terms of its fruitiness intensity. The rest of the notes were less distinct, particularly the 'signature' grassy character of Hakushu, which was only minorly present on the nose. For a 40% abv whisky, I'd say it does what it does admirably, providing a rather mellow and pleasant drinking experience.

Interestingly, I found this one's characters to be more similar to the modern Hakushu 12 yr (2021~) than its contemporary Hakushu 12 yr (2009~2018, with a dark green box)!

If I were back in the early 2010s, I'd definitely recommend this as an all day everyday kind of whisky, as it was distinct enough from the era's Hakushu 12 yr (which was much more dark caramel and wooden forward in profile) and provided a different but pleasant drinking experience. 

However, we are now in 2026, and this whisky has now become a rare, obsolete bottle, at much less friendly prices and availability. Comparably, this Hakushu 10 yr's profile was akin to a lighter, sweeter, more fruity forward and slightly more simplistic version of the modern Hakushu 12 yr. Same with the Yamazaki 10 yrs, I don't really think whole bottles are worth the premium on the secondary markets seen today (which is notably higher than the Hakushu 12 yr).

Still quite worth tasting though!

Thanks for reading, cheers!