There are bottles that arrive on your desk and immediately command a different kind of attention. SMWS 116.10 is one of them — a 1987-vintage Yoichi single malt, bottled at 18 years of age and a muscular 52.2% ABV by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. This is not a casual purchase. At £5,000, it is a serious commitment, and it demands to be taken seriously in return.
The SMWS numbering system identifies distillery 116 as Yoichi, and that provenance alone sets expectations. A Japanese single malt from the late 1980s, aged nearly two decades and selected by the Society's tasting panel — this sits at the intersection of rarity and quality that collectors and drinkers alike chase with equal fervour. The cask-strength bottling tells you the Society trusted this liquid to stand on its own without dilution to a softer proof. I respect that decision.
What strikes me most about this whisky is what it represents in the broader context of Japanese single malt. An 18-year-old distilled in 1987 would have been bottled around 2005, a period when Japanese whisky was still largely a connoisseur's secret in the West. The global mania had not yet arrived. This was selected on merit, not hype — and that distinction matters enormously when you are evaluating a bottle at this price point.
At 52.2%, expect weight and presence in the glass. Cask-strength Japanese single malts of this age are vanishingly rare on the secondary market, and each one that surfaces is a snapshot of a distillery's character at a specific moment in time. The SMWS single-cask format means this is unrepeatable — once the bottles from this cask are gone, they are gone for good.
Tasting Notes
I will be straightforward: specific tasting notes for this particular outturn are not widely documented, and I would rather leave that space honest than fabricate descriptors. What I can tell you is that the combination of vintage, age, and cask strength points toward a whisky of considerable depth and complexity. The 52.2% ABV suggests it will open beautifully with time in the glass and reward patience.
The Verdict
I am giving SMWS 116.10 an 8.4 out of 10. That is a strong score, and I stand behind it. The provenance is impeccable — a single cask from one of Japan's most storied distilleries, selected by one of the world's most rigorous tasting panels, bottled at full strength from a vintage that predates the global rush on Japanese whisky. The £5,000 price tag is significant, but in the current market for aged Japanese single malts, it reflects the reality of extreme scarcity rather than mere speculation. This is a bottle for someone who understands what they are buying and why it matters. It is not the highest score I have ever given, because I believe in leaving room — but make no mistake, this is a whisky I would be proud to have on my shelf and privileged to pour for a guest who would appreciate it.
Best Served
Neat, in a tulip-shaped nosing glass, at room temperature. Give it ten minutes to breathe after pouring. If the cask strength feels assertive, add a few drops of still water — no more — and let it sit another minute. This is not a whisky for cocktails or ice. It is a whisky for a quiet room, good company, and your full attention.
