Yamazaki Puncheon 2010 Whisky

Suntory Yamazaki Puncheon 2010 Japanese Single Malt Whiskey is aged in 480 litre oak Puncheon. Rich and sweet this Japanese whiskey is a graceful dram due to the slightly slower ageing caused by the smaller spirit to wood ratio. A special edition Yamazaki from Suntory, aged in a 480-litre puncheon cask, which allows the whisky to mature much more slowly than the standard 230-litre hogshead. There's no age statement, but at 48% and unchillfiltered, it's pretty tasty.   Nose: Light. Slight fruit notes. Sweet but not to the dessert-like extent of the Bourbon barrel. No spice notes either.Palate: Light on the palate - I'd have picked it as a 40% rather than a 48% ABV. Similar vanilla ice cream notes as the Bourbon barrel, but toned down, and less sweetness overall.Finish: Still sweet, but again - lighter, fruitier. Sharp, but overall, a bit "less" than the Bourbon barrel.