Old Fashioned Week 2020 : Togouchi whisky

I’ve always had a weird relationship with Japanese whisky. The early bottles just didn’t do it for me and it was only after a masterclass of Suntory’s Toki and Hibiki whisky bottlings that I became interested. 

Recently I received a bottle of Togouchi Premium Blended Japanese Whisky. Of course I have nothing against blended whisky. In the UK the blended malt bottlings of Douglas Laing and Monkey Shoulder are extremely tasty. Togouchi uses a blend of Scottish malt and Canadian grain. At the Chugoku Jozo distillery they don’t age this whisky in warehouses, but in tunnels in Togouchi were it’s always 15°. This reminds us of course of the many caves we visited in the Champagne region. 

A first sip from this bottle wasn’t really extravert or exciting. But it did have that typical Japanese peachy flavour which is always more floral and fruity than Scottish whisky. In the mouth it has a lot of butter and caramel. Also fruit and nuts. I decided to try a very fruity Asian style of Old Fashioned for this one. 

Togouchi Old Fashioned

Ingredients
60 ml Togouchi Blended Whisky
15 ml Marie Brizard Litchi Liqueur 
2 dashes Grapefruit bitters

Method
Stir everything together in a mixglass with lots of ice. Strain into a tumbler with a big block of ice. Add a dehydrated lemon slice. 

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