Featured at World Whisky Day 2023: Nikka Whisky was launched in 1940. Nikka is short for Nippon Kaju, slightly shortened from Dai Nippon Kaju or “The Great Japanese Juice Company”, the name of the corporation Masataka Taketsuru founded in 1934 after returning to Japan from Scotland and leaving Suntory after a decade to form his own business. This company sold apple products at first, while the whisky aged. Today, the brands produced under the Nikka umbrella come from the Miyagikyo and Yoichi distilleries primarily if they are made in Japan. The Nikka Whisky from the Barrel is made from a blend of 100 different batches of malt and grain whiskies to integrate the flavors and bottled at what is believed to be an ideal proofage.
The reason the bottle does not bare the label of “Japanese whisky” is because, as Nikka states openly on the site, the Whisky from the Barrel “does not meet all the criteria of Japanese whisky as set out by a 2021 standard of the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association that specifies the standards for a product labeled as Japanese whisky. If the Whisky from the Barrel fails to meet those criteria, we are assuming that is because at least some of what is in the bottle is whisky distilled in a country other than Japan, a practice that has been relatively common for decades.
Distillery: Miyagikyo and Yoichi Distilleries
Region: Foreign
Age: NAS
Strength: 51.4%
Price: $79.99
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Nose: Pine, lemon oil, iodine, char, orange
Palate: Ash, vanilla, grain
Finish: Vanilla, tea, hops
Comments: While not better or worse, letting the whisky sit in the glass does help bring different elements to the fore.
Adam – I really enjoy the nose of the Whisky from the Barrel quite a bit. That nice mix of citrus with a little bit of char on the outset. The more you let it sit, the the more prominent that orange or lemon becomes. I’m not sure I’m the biggest fan of the palate, as the grain and vanilla from the barrels is really dinged by a strong sense of ash, before the ash pulls away and
Kate – The nose is refined and light. Lemon oil for furniture polish. It is super subtle. If you swirl it around there is iodine and char. Approachable and mysterious. It makes me think this is what standing at the base of a mountain in Japan would smell like. There’s a harshness to the taste initially and then it immediately transitions into a smooth sweetness. The taste gently transitions to a finish like sparkling bubbles on the back of my tongue. It leaves the vague hint of the taste behind. Overall, this is SUPER lovely. It is like a new acquaintance that you want to get to know better. It definitely doesn’t overstay its welcome. Everything is SO authentic. The barley flavor is pure. The vanilla flavor is pure. The water is clean with a hint of seaweed. It leaves me wanting more. Is this a gateway whiskey?
Bill – There’s a brightness on the nose of the Whisky from the Barrel that I like. If this were cologne, I’d wear it. I like this a lot. I could drink this all day long.
If this were cologne, I’d wear it…I could drink this all day long.
Henry – Nose is a chimera of fruit blossom, Highland-style peat, and gentle honey sweetness. Palate begins with a quick sunburst of fruit, followed by a sudden change to astringency and wood, a hint of char. The finish begins with a surprisingly hot burst of roughness followed by a light lingering vanilla sweetness which lacks character, especially in proportion to the nose.
Ben – It’s got the sweetness to it that I could drink all day. It hits you more of the feeling of the heat and then some woodiness. This shares an aftertaste with sour candy that I don’t really like, along the back sides of my tongue. It’s a tangy bitterness that hangs out at the end. Similar to a green tea.
