TASTING NOTES

HANYU JACK OF DIAMONDS 1988

Originally bought as an investment, I didn’t think I would get to taste this one. But then Neil, my erstwhile co-director of Goallover Dotorg – a registered community interest company (CIC), not for profit, charity project – was working late at the office and decided to help himself to a whisky from the cupboard.

Faced with some open bottles he didn’t fancy the look of, or closed and sealed bottles of Ichiro’s Malts, he had to make a decision – should he open the Hanyu distillery Queen of Clubs (bottle number 87 of 330), the Hanyu distillery Five of Hearts (bottle number 87 of 326) or Hanyu’s Jack of Diamonds (bottle number 88 of 403), he opted for the Jack of Diamonds.

So, Cask #9103, bottle number 88 was opened, and the Grainmash investment was blown straight into negative equity. Unfortunately for Neil, a replacement bottle is on order at a cost of 210 Euros. The 20 year old, cognac finish, distilled in 1988 and bottled in 2008, Jack of Diamonds is open and so it must be drunk – hence the appearance of this wonderful whisky in the tasting notes and not just the investment category.

So this is a treat! The nose on this one is sweet and warm, the colour a rich golden, paler than the Eight of Spades and certainly inviting. I am actually going to savour the moment, because I don’t often drink 200 pound bottles of whisky.

I was intending to keep the first sip on the tip of my tongue and then let it cascade backwards, but the Jack had ideas of its own. It headed to the edges, then settled and melted. In the finishing straight, our 20 year old whisky is a strong candidate, keeping on with the stamina of a young man. Well suited to the card, congratulations to Ichiro, this is a Cognac Cask finish of quality.

With water, this whisky moves to greater balance, sitting more on the centre of my tongue. I can’t say that this whisky is anything as heavy or as dark and serious as the Eight of Spades. And having found no other reviews, I can say that I think the Jack of Diamonds has mainly been tucked away as an investment rather than enjoyed.

All of a sudden I feel a burden of responsibility to explain the smells, the tastes, but I am really not qualified. It’s definitely sweetness, not floral, nor figs or molasses. If I were pushed I would head towards melted chocolate with cream and sugar. Then again, I went to see Arsenal v Roma in the Champion’s League when everyone else was having pancakes, so perhaps it is just my subconscious longing for what I missed.

And here’s the summary – there is a great danger and curious enigma to this “Card Series” of whiskies being produced by Ichiro from the silent Hanyu distillery. It is certainly a very collectable whisky. And it is possible that very few drams of Jack of Diamonds whisky are going to be drunk. That, in one way, is a shame, because it is a very nice balanced whisky. Not my favourite, and it is not going to end my quest for the perfect whisky, but I would also say that it is a very nice drink indeed.

No sir. If you have one of these, I would keep it. It is an investment whisky – and when it is finally drunk, it will be enjoyed and savoured for the little piece of history this one in 403 bottles represents. In the final analysis and in the finish, it is very nice indeed. I would love another taste. I will cherish the replacement bottle, and expect it to fetch a pretty price in 20 years time, when this review will stand as a rare old review of the Ichiro’s Malt 1988 Jack of Diamonds.
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© 2009 GrainMash.