World Whisky Review #46: Suntory Very Rare Old Whisky In Commemoration of Expo ’70

Distillery: Blend

Region: Japan

Age: NAS.

ABV: 43.0%

Color: 1.3, Russet/Muscat.

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Nose: Nothing exciting at all here. It’s got a very generic “whisky” smell, with sweet grain breakfast cereal coming through along with some vanilla.

Palate: More of the same here. Vanilla, sugary breakfast cereal, and a hint of caramel.

Finish: Short in length. So short in fact that I couldn’t actually get any notes as it was utterly forgettable.

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Conclusion: Suntory made this bottling in 1970 for the World Expo in Osaka. While the bottles look cool, the whisky itself is anything but. It is perhaps the most generic whisky I’ve had in a long while. There’s nothing exciting about it at all, just some sugary cereal and a hint of vanilla. The finish is so forgettable and short that I didn’t actually get any notes down for it. I didn’t have any expectations for this whisky at all, mind, but somehow I still come out of it disappointed in how simplistic it is. It’s easy to drink, which is probably what they were going for, but beyond that the only redeeming factors are the bottle and story.

Final Score: 60.

World Whisky Review #46, Japanese Whisky Review #18, Whisky Network Review #433

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.