Kirin’s new entry-level whisky has now been announced: it’s called Kirin Whiskey Pure & Mellow Riku Land Discovery, and is slated for release on May 20th.
It’s a helluva name. For starters they are now calling it whiskey instead of whisky. Perhaps that’s due to what appears to be an increased reliance on grain rather than malt whisky.Kirin says we should expect orange, vanilla, floral notes as well as some spices on the nose. Then for the palate and finish they literally say it tastes like a cask.
So this is the replacement for Kirin’s Sanroku 50 that was discontinued last year. Riku Land Discovery comes in at 50% abv and 500ml. Being entry-level, it’s priced at only 1518 yen after tax.
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Just opened my first bottle of the Kirin Riku. First nose was not pretty, big alcohol blast. But after a few minutes, got the orange. Nice sipping straight. Not as deep and pretty as the old Sanroku, but decent. Sorry, I’m not a whisky writer, but I do like a 50% whisky, so was happy to see this. Price point seems right, About the same as the old 700ml Sanroku, but now only 500ml. Definitely a step down from the old Sanroku, but not bad at all.
*A local liquor store has a stash of the old Sanroku selling for 2500. I guess I should snap them up. Had one a few weeks back, it was beautiful. Sad to see it go.
Cheers
I just found this Whisky at a local supermarket in Japan,, It’s a good discovery. Strong but nice after few minutes. I like it.