Origin: Japan
Type: Blended Malt Japanese Whisky
Strength: 43%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Sherry and ex-Bourbon
Chillfiltered: N/A
Added coloring: Yes
Owner: Asahi Breweries
Average price: € 400.00
Official website: www.nikka.com
The story of Masataka Taketsuru and the adventurous origins of Japanese whisky that later led him to found the modern Nikka I think is well known to all, and it is almost obvious that the brand decided to dedicate a bottling to the founder to encapsulate the souls of its distilleries.
Blended (or, as they call it, Pure Malt) whiskies from the two proprietary distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagikyo, it was born as a twelve year old in 2000, exactly one year before the explosion of Japanese whisky with the international award won by Yoichi’s single cask 10yo, soon joined by the 17yo, 21yo and 25yo.
In 2015, the 12yo was replaced by the current bottling with no age statement to give breathing space to the increasingly scarce supply of aged casks, until 2020 when the axe hits the other expressions, leaving Taketsuru Pure Malt as the label’s sole representative.
As always, few details have been released by the producer on the bottle, either on the proportions of the two distilleries or the casks used: the consensus is that it is a majority Miyagikyo composition (the unpeated of the two) with a preponderance of ex-sherry casks.
Tasting Notes
A very fresh and fruity nose, in which the yellow component dominates (peach, apple, banana, apricot, pineapple) with a slight acidic (lychee, gooseberry,) and citrus (lime, grapefruit) inclination, together with floral and confectionery tones (lemon curd, acacia honey, vanilla). A mineral and metallic vein runs through the aromas, between wet stone and copper coin, at times sulphurous (matchstick head), accompanied by the second rows of tobacco, sandalwood and a distant puff of Caribbean cigar smoke. Elegant and layered.
On the palate it becomes sharper, the mineral and sulphurous soul grows to characterise the fruit on the nose (citrus fruits are more incisive) which acquires a red palette (blueberries, currants) with a growing vegetal and spicy vein (white pepper, ginger, aniseed). Fairly light-bodied, it maintains the pastry background (vanilla, almond candies, cream tartlet) with a balsamic and woody part of incense and sandalwood, with the smoke always relegated to distant tobacco evocations.
The finish is of medium length, balsamic and mineral, of dull cigar, white fruit, citrus and vegetable notes.
A particular and recognisable profile, more interesting on the nose than on the palate, where it perhaps suffers from a lack of alcoholic backing, which fails to give a boost to the otherwise rich aromatic palette that remains unexpressed and castrated. Definitely a good blended, but clearly overpriced and far from unforgettable.