Suntory Toki - Japanese Whisky

Aroma: Fresh basil, crisp green apple, and sweet honey define the bouquet.

Taste: Sweet peach and bitter grapefruit notes vie for dominance, while white grapes, mint, and thyme bring fresh elements.

Finish: Subtly sweet with vanilla and spicy with a hint of oak, white pepper, and ginger.

The Toki whisky is another blended whisky from the same house as the popular Hibiki blends. The whiskies married for Toki come from the distilleries Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita. Toki perfectly captures the character of each distillery. It has the creamy freshness of Hakushu combined with the sweet grain note of Chita and the fruity character of Yamazaki. Toki is, by the way, the Japanese word for 'time', which is meant to indicate the timeless character of the whisky. At the same time, Shinji Fukuyo, the fourth Chief Blender of Suntory, ushers in a new era for Suntory's blended whiskies: until now, the focus was primarily on the influence of Yamazaki in blended whiskies. However, Hakushu with its grassy herbal notes now stands alongside Yamazaki. This makes Toki a pleasant summer whisky that can also be ideally enjoyed as a Highball. The Highball has a long tradition in Japanese drinking culture, not least thanks to its simple elegance. Here’s the recipe for home:

Fill a large glass to the brim with ice,
add 2 cl Toki whisky and stir.
Add a little more ice to the rim of the glass.
Now pour 6 cl chilled mineral water along the wall of the glass – this keeps the carbonation intact and the ice frozen longer.
Garnish with a piece of lemon peel and enjoy.

Kampai!