Nikka Whisky From The Barrel
Delicate, Juicy, Oak, Vanilla2022-04-02
At the beginning of 2021, the Japanese Spirits and Liqueurs Association announced the standards for the labelling of Japanese whisky.
This clearly defined what is and what is not Japanese Whisky. It is an open secret that many Nikka Whiskys contain a little Ben Nevis from Scotland - including Nikka Whisky From The Barrel.
Nikka promises to continue producing wonderful whiskies and is making every effort to comply with the new standards, and at that time also updated its website accordingly at short notice.
We think more transparency makes sense - and even knowing that we don't have real Japanese whisky in our glass, we can still enjoy it.
Smell
At first, we are struck by the very intense aromas of vanilla and pear. Interestingly, the fruitiness predominates here and we only perceive subliminal spices, such as nutmeg. We feel a bit like we are in a Japanese orchard.
Taste
On the palate, oaky tannins clearly predominate, even if the fruitiness remains. Nuts and dried fruit linger in the background.
Finish
Finally, the vanilla notes fight their way to the fore in the medium-long finish. Nevertheless, oaky notes resonate. Despite the 51.4% ABV, the bottling is mild and very enjoyable even without dilution with water.
Thoughts
An excellent blend. The fact that Nikka Whisky is no longer allowed to call this bottling Japanese Whisky does not detract from the quality. You can clearly see the perfected craft of blend production of Japanese bottlers.
Rating: 77/100 - Very Good (Marcel: 75 | Sascha: 79)
Value for Money: 4/5 - Good
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