Hakushu's no-age malt is the engine's $170 stand-in for the 12

Sources

• generate_cycle.py replay payload, artefact 2026-09-17-replay/value-pick/hakushu-12-year-old-whisky-700ml-hakushu-single-malt-japanes-b96d7a; harvest pair base 2026-09-10, latest 2026-09-17.
• Hakushu 12: this week $378 (claim value 378.0; grounding.ref.price 378.0), last harvest $348 — a rise of +$30 / +8.6%, flag OK (grounding.ref, trigger reference-rose). No member offer.
• Hakushu Single Malt: $170 (claim value 170.0; grounding.cand.price 170.0), flat week on week, no member offer.
• Engine: CE rank 3, CE score 0.139; VSM rank 1, VSM score 0.951; same country, same style (grounding). Price ratio 0.45 (170 ÷ 378), saving $208. "45%" is the ratio; $208 is the saving.
• Character: both carry factor profile Yuzu & Green Tea 0.51 + Peat & Maritime 0.02 (2026-09-17.r dossiers).

Omissions

• Light form: no reference CE 360° cohort read (the jury of comparable bottles), so the post opens on the ticket, not on a "ten bottles were asked what it's worth" figure.
• No better stand-in was set aside: the candidate is the reference's top-ranked profile match in the pool.
• The reference's rise is disclosed as the bottle getting dearer, not as a repricing; the pick itself is a standing comparison, not a price move.

Notes for reviewer

• The trigger is the reference rising (a PUBLISHABLE OK move on the harvest pair), which is what put this pair up this week; the thread opens on what Hakushu 12 costs now and never says "dropped".
• Same-brand ladder (Hakushu 12 vs Hakushu no-age), which the format allows.
• Replay draft on rehearsal vintage 2026-09-17.r; may_publish: false and never flips in replay.

Format note

Value pick, light form. Two live tickets, the engine's rank and scores for the pair, and the saving. It does not carry the reference's CE 360° cohort read (the jury-of-seats), so the post opens on what the reference costs this week rather than on a jury figure. Both prices are shelf, non-member. Trigger: the reference rose (Hakushu 12 $348 → $378 on the harvest pair, +8.6% / +$30, a PUBLISHABLE OK move); the stand-in was flat. Same-brand ladder, allowed.

{
 "date": "2026-09-17T00:00:00.000Z",
 "title": "Hakushu's no-age malt is the engine's $170 stand-in for the 12",
 "angle": "value-pick",
 "position": "n/a",
 "status": "draft",
 "derives_from": "none — standalone; the automated replay cycle grounds this on the vintage's dyadic pool and the week's harvest pair",
 "grounded_on": "2026-09-17.r (engine ranks); harvest pair 2026-09-10 → 2026-09-17 (the trigger)",
 "may_publish": false,
 "replay": true,
 "review_priority": "standard",
 "artefact_id": "2026-09-17-replay/value-pick/hakushu-12-year-old-whisky-700ml-hakushu-single-malt-japanes-b96d7a",
 "format_note": "Value pick, light form. Two live tickets, the engine's rank and scores for the pair, and the saving. It does not carry the reference's CE 360° cohort read (the jury-of-seats), so the post opens on what the reference costs this week rather than on a jury figure. Both prices are shelf, non-member. Trigger: the reference rose (Hakushu 12 $348 → $378 on the harvest pair, +8.6% / +$30, a PUBLISHABLE OK move); the stand-in was flat. Same-brand ladder, allowed.",
 "claims": [
  {
   "item": "Hakushu 12 Year Old Whisky 700mL",
   "kind": "price",
   "value": 378
  },
  {
   "item": "Hakushu Single Malt Japanese Whisky 700mL",
   "kind": "price",
   "value": 170
  }
 ],
 "subjects": [
  "Hakushu 12 Year Old Whisky 700mL",
  "Hakushu Single Malt Japanese Whisky 700mL"
 ],
 "verified_at": "2026-09-27T07:31:42.000Z",
 "verified_by": "etl/price_verify.py (harvest sidecar danmurphys_whisky_products_2026-09-17.normalised.csv, as of 2026-09-17)",
 "verified_prices": {
  "784466": 169.99,
  "784473": 378
 },
 "verification_note": "2 price claim(s) verified live",
 "quality_gate": "pass",
 "gated_at": "2026-09-27T07:31:42.000Z",
 "site_publish": true
}