Review #25 - Suntory Toki
NAS World Whisky Mini-Series: Part 3 of 4
Our trip around the world exploring Non-Age-Stated whiskies now takes us to Japan, where we find a blended whisky in the form of Suntory Toki. A budget option, especially in the realm of Japanese whisky which has become very expensive due to high demand and years of low production, this bottle has potential to provide great value if the flavors can keep up.
We're tasting this neat for our review, but it is also a popular drink for mixing - the brand itself recommends this one in a highball. Before we get on to the tasting notes and the rest of it, we can go ahead and tell you - yes, this does make a tasty whisky highball.
Suntory Toki
Japan - Blend
Price Paid: USD 31 (2021)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 28 (2023)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 43% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 5 months; bottles at 100%, 90%, and 60% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Balanced and relatively light. Orchard fruits start us out, lots of sweet green apple and underripe pear, followed by lemon and even a hint of lime citrus. Later, the apple becomes candied with caramel, and it's dusted with brown baking spices. There might even be a dark grape hiding in here, but you have to look for it. Past the fruit, we're finding confectionary sugar, honey, and then some environmental tones of salty brine, damp vegetation, and some mild dry driftwood. There might even be a hint of smoke on this, but it is very light.
Palate: More caramel and spice on the palate, and more oily than the nose suggested, though it's a medium, maybe medium-thin mouthfeel. Red delicious apples, green apples, and pears, too; the sweetness from the fruits in balanced by some spice and oak dryness, though. There is cinnamon, clove, some wood sugar, a bit of toast as opposed to char. A touch of red wine once in a while, pleasantly warm, and we do find just a whiff of smoke as well, but it comes and goes. We end here with a hint of green vegetation and just a bit of a thin 'moonshine' sort of taste.
Finish: The finish is medium length, and it falls away a little bit. It's light, mildly warm, with some light wood sugars and a very tame tannin as well; this errs on the sweet side later with mild apple and sweeter baking spices like cinnamon and cardamom. It's rounded out with a bit of biscuit and butter.
Final Note: Color us impressed. This is very pleasant to sip on, and while it isn't likely to blow anyone's socks off, it does present plenty of flavor and complexity considering its price. A great bottle for mixing as well, it's versatile, which only adds to its perceived value; we would be happy with this in a cocktail, or sipping it neat any time. This is a product that likely always has a place on our shelf.
Addendum: When we initially reviewed this, a number of readers were surprised at how high our rating was. Maybe we got a particularly good bottle? Either way, this one is probably worth a follow-up review in the future.
Our Average Rating: 7.3 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 9.23
