in all truth, i'd happily try the premium japanese whiskies. the award winning jap whiskies you're referring to are the 12 and 18 year old casks that cost a fortune to buy, so they're not really comparable. for eg: talisker 10 costs around 35 and is a phenomenal scotch, whereas yamakazi 12 costs 140 a bottle - so for the price difference, i'd expect a superior product. the cheaper japanese whiskies that i've tried, such as suntori hibiki, have been a bit too insipid for my palate.
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