再一場遊戲 Game Again

 

環球美酒盡在 Sipping Malt 微醺之醉 www.sippingmalt.com

English version at page bottom

我在前文"一場遊戲 A Game“中介紹過羽生 Hanyu 的 The Game 系列, 亦分享了 第一版 The Game 的酒評, 今次介紹的, 是其第二版, 姑且稱為 Game Two 吧。

Game Two 的酒標是日本浮世繪風, 描繪的一名滿是紋身的日本男子在下棋, 如果細心點看, 他所下的棋, 並非圍棋或日本將棋, 正正就是 Game One 酒標的國際象棋(西洋棋), 棋盤傍放有一瓶 Game One。其實由 Game Two 開始, 每款 Game 的酒標, 也會有前一款 Game 的酒標元素在內, 設計很有心思。

Hanyu 羽生 2000/20011, C# 917, Game Two, 700 ml, 59.4%
Cask type: 水楢組裝桶過桶 Mizunara Heads Hogshead finish
No. of bottles: 309

這款酒所用的酒桶有一點特別之處, 就是 Mizunara Head Hogshead finish。前段陳年所用的木桶類型沒有提及, 但個人主觀猜想應該會是 Bourbon hogshead, 而過桶的所謂 Mizunara Heads Hogshead, 我姑且將它譯為水楢組裝桶, 就是將酒桶的頂及/或底板換上水楢木板, 進行過桶。只是更換底面的木板, 比整個木桶拆開換上水楢木條簡單, 但只得底面兩片木板, 新木板的影響會較少。又有問題, 為甚麼不用整個的水楢桶呢? 這不外乎是桶源, 風格設定, 和成本的考慮, 有評論為全水楢桶的風味太強烈, 所以只用換板桶, 這方面我沒有確實的答案。

氣味: 鹹肉,甜的黑朱古力, 消毒藥水, 臭丸, 焦木, 木刨花
口味: 膠水, 微鹹, 提子(葡萄)味吹波糖, 硫化物, 煙草
餘蘊: 悠長, 微鹹, 咖啡渣, 硫化物
結論: 十分有趣的氣味, 尤其那見於男廁的消毒臭丸的氣味, 應該是近似樟樹類的香精油, 不算討厭, 唔….有趣吧, 那木刨花的氣味很清新, 其餘的元素也不錯。酒體強勁有力, 微鹹, 一些塑膠, 煙草, 糖果, 也是不錯的。悠長的餘蘊, 微鹹, 柔和烘焙焦苦和點點硫化物。很奇異的一款酒, 好些化學物元素, 不難喝, 可說有趣, 很難評分, 但其實頗細緻和結構不錯的, 水楢的風味, 我相信就是那近似臭丸樟腦和木刨花的氣味吧。這不是一款大眾化的酒,但我接受到這款酒,正斗的。

 

English Version of Tasting Note

I have introduced Hanyu’s The Game series in my previous article “A Game" and share the tasting note of the first release of this series. I now introduce the second release of The Game series, namely, Game Two.

The label of Game Two adopts Japanese Ukiyo-e style, a tattooed Japanese male playing the Chess. If you are looking the label in detail, you will find that the chess playing is neither Go nor Japanese chess shōgi, which is the western chess appeared in the Label of Game One. In additions, there is a bottle of Game one on the corner of the chess board. Since Game Two, the label contains the elements of the previous release. The label design is quite meticulous.

Hanyu 2000/20011, C# 917, Game Two, 700 ml, 59.4%
Cask type: Mizunara Heads Hogshead finish
No. of bottles: 309

The cask finish is quite special for this release, namely, Mizunara Heads Hogshead finish. I have no idea about the barrel for first part’s aging. I personally guess it be Bourbon hogshead. The so-called Mizunara Heads Hogshead is in fact a dump hogshead but just replaced the top and/or bottom plates with Mizunara oak plates. It is much simpler then re-structuring by inserting Mizunara oak stave, but however the wood effect would not too much with just the top and/or bottom plates. Another question, why not using whole Mizunara barrel? I have no definite answer but the reasons are nothing else but sources of barrel, style of the output or costs. Some comments that Mizunara oak’s favour is too strong and therefore it may the one of main reasons.

Nose: Ham, sweet dark chocolate, disinfectant, sterilizer, roasted wood, wood shaving
Palate: Plastic, salty, grape bubble gum, sulfide, tobacco
Aftertaste: Long, salty, coffee ground，sulfide
Conclusion: Very funny note, especially the smell of sterilizer in washroom, or said camphor wood essential oil, not offensive but….interesting, lovely wood shaving and the rest OK. Powerful at palate, aggressive, a bit salty, plastic, tobacco, candy, quite good. Long salty and soft toast bitterness with sulfide aftertaste. A strange dram, some chemical elements, not bad taste but just interesting, hard to score, however, good detailing and structure, not an everyone dram but fine to me.