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Nikka
Jim Murray scored different batches of Pure Malt Black with 92 and 95 points respectively. This is a great dram, a blended malt made up of whisky from Nikka's Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. Full of fruit, balanced oak, peat and toffee.
Nikka Pure malt black - (On the nose) fruity, light smoke, malt, syrup, malty, sweet, (Palate) slightly similar to Nikka Yoichi, slight brine may be, toffee, fruit.
Smell reminds me of Cognac (maybe this is a unique personal observation!)... missing the honey taste of Nikka from the barrel.
I don't think this is 43% proof. Drinks like sweet caramel colored lemonade. Very odd. Pleasant but not in the Whiskey category of beverages. No aroma. Bottle 18B22A.
I live near the Yoichi distillery. This used to be /phenomenally/ good circa 2016 and before, especially for the price (1,200 yen or $9.00 USD, yes NINE DOLLARS in most Japanese grocery stores.) Unfortunately, after Jim Murray's review, it virtually disappeared from stores. In February, I braved the COVID pandemic (then a burgeoning East Asia epidemic) and headed over to the distillery bottle shop to stock up. Well, I'm not sure what they are bottling now, but it is watered down beyond the point of being acceptable. The content of these bottles is absolutely in no way the same thing awarded 92/95 points. In fact, while good batches of Nikka (specifically Yoichi) are some of my favorite whiskies ever, quality control from 2018-2020 has seriously taken a dive, likely due to hype-influenced demand for a whiskey which simply does not exist, as not enough was initially produced before the Japanese whiskey boom. This is why age statements disappeared for Nikka. Be mindful that, today, both Nikka and Suntory products are all over the map quality-wise and probably will not align with the adoring and glowing reviews of the products from several years ago. While I prefer Nikka's products, I think Suntory has maintained consistent quality standards better than Nikka has. That said, the bottlings of both are less than thrilling all around, especially for the prices paid in foreign markets. (They are less than half the price here in Japan). Of course, this can and hopefully will change as newer bottlings emerge in 7-10 years.
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