Nikka From The Barrel (500ml / 51.4%)

Nikka From The Barrel Blended Japanese Whisky (500ml / 51.4%)

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This unique bottling of ‘From the Barrel’ is a blend of malt (from the Nikka Yoichi distillery) and grain (from the Nikka Miyagikyo distillery) whiskies that are hand selected, blended together...

Description

This unique bottling of ‘From the Barrel’ is a blend of malt (from the Nikka Yoichi distillery) and grain (from the Nikka Miyagikyo distillery) whiskies that are hand selected, blended together and then reintroduced to a first-fill bourbon cask upon their marriage. The result is a blend that possesses a distinctive personality.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Pear drops, tropical fruits (kiwi or starfruit or something), and a lot of green banana. The aroma is, as expected, powerful and tends to crawl up your nose if you get too close. There is complexity to be had here – underneath that domineering banana note resides a nice depth of oaky sweetness and a hefty dose of malt.


Palate: Wow, take small sips of this. Concentrated and robust, with loads of tart fruits and brash, fiery alcohol. I wouldn’t call this particularly mellow, but the oakiness is in excellent balance with the fruit, and the high proof makes it dance on the tongue.


Finish: The dominant note turns to caramel. Very nice. Caramelized banana? A bit of barrel tannin – a hint of bitterness – creeps in at the end.


With Water: Water adds a bit of vanilla to the nose, has a bit of a taming effect on the tongue burn (a bit), and might amp up the tartness on the finish. Water certainly doesn’t hurt, here.


Overall: This is, I think, my first cask-strength blended whisky. The high proof seems to minimize the flavor of whatever grain whisky is present, for me. I get a ton of delectable fruits (most of which are tart, my favorite kind of fruit notes in whisky), excellent balance of wood and malt sweetness, and a proof that’s just the right amount of intensity straight-up, but can also handle some water. Nice stuff, even with the dominant banana notes.


Tasting Notes (www.scotchnoob.com)