Hanyu Ichiro 2000 / Five of Spades / Bot 2008/ Sherry Finish

N:  Some alluring notes here under the expected alcohol prickle (it is 60.5% after all).  Takes a long, long time to open up at full strength.  Eventually I got some hot-buttered toast, malt loaf, raisins.  Develops some very nutty aromas - hazelnut, almond, walnut whips.  Old seasoned wood - more than you'd expect for a whisky of such relative youth.

N with water:  Much more genial and approachable, naturally.  Strong notes of polished wood, and waves of very clean malt, with a hint of briar / berries.  Again, more noticeable wood influence than expected.

P:  Big nuttiness to the fore, but again, at full strength the alcohol is almost too much to handle.  This definitely needs a drop or two of water.
(With water):  Woody and peppery, with dried apricots, lingering spices, nuts and a hint of tweed.

F:  Pretty hot at full strength.  Water tames it but it remains very long, with hot, lingering chilli pepper and woody spices.

C:  A real curio.  For a young whisky it seems both very heavily-wood influenced and also quite old-fashioned in style.  Certainly if tasted blind I'd have made a fool of myself - I'd never have picked this as Japanese, and probably would have guessed it as a 15-18 yrs old Highlander.  Definitely needs water.