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The award-winning Nikka Whisky From The Barrel blend is absolutely full of flavour. Bottled at 51.4% ABV. The blend combines both single malt and grain whisky, the majority of which comes from from the Miyagikyo and Yoichi distilleries. A huge depth of flavour in this stunning whisky from Japan. We can't recommend this enough.
Medium-body with good balance. There are notes of cut flowers and fresh fruits, spice, and a little oak.
Full-bodied and punchy. There is plenty of winter spice and toffee, a little caramel and vanilla, and a good mouthful of fruit.
Long, warming and fruity with a little oaken spice.
Perhaps my expectations were too high considering the outstanding Yoichi Single Malt is the only other Japanese Whisky I've tried, but I just could not like this Nikka Whisky no matter how hard I tried. The nose has a similar whiff as Jura Journey, that emulsion paint note comes through - something I find very off-putting. When it first goes into your mouth it is rather watery despite being 51.4% (I only put a few drops in from a syringe) and then the ethanol presence kicks in. However, it does develop if you hold it and you get some heat, but not that pleasant lip tinkling spice feeling, it's sharper and goes for the inside of your upper mouth instead. Unfortunately, the ethanol is still detectable in the aftertaste. I'm not sure but does some or all of the whisky in this come from Scotland, shipped in plastic containers and if so, could this be affecting the quality? I don't know but Yoichi Single Malt is in a different league to this stuff.
Least convincing of all the Japanese whiskies I had tasted. I know, its not even Japanese, but the hype behind it has brought myself into Japanese whisky world as well. When it came about to talk about Japanese whisky, NFTB was always on the list. And praised. After the first bottle 2 years ago, it barely left a stand alone impression, compared to the stuff from Scotland. Some fruit there, waay too much alcohol noticeable and nothing deep and complex that makes you want to discover more after each sip. So plain. So party-like. I guess ti goes best mixed into something that is not a whisky any more. But that is not my thing. After i had acquired and tasted several more Japanese whiskies (11 in total), including a second bottle of the Nikka from the barrel, the latter holds the bottom rank of them all. I even liked Suntory Toki more, which was the cheapest whisky i had ever bought. I never let price influence my ratings... Just pure tasting experience. So, there have been 67 better whiskies than nikka from the barrel, and counting, and only one worse (tullamore dew i had received as a present by someone who hasn't got a clue about whiskies. ) There is a silver lining though. The bottle is quite small and neat and can be kept for other use.
This stuff is simply fantastic. Complex and full of flavor highlighting juicy fruits and oak. Guy who had the "Tricky" review just needs to drink more whisky to get past the alcohol burn he discredited it with.
I got to admit I also decided for this bottle on recommendation of a friend who tried it some years ago. I was shocked during my initial taste by realizing how ethylic its essence is: after 3/4 of an ounce my palate was numb already! In the past, I've enjoyed several whiskeys with a comparable ABV (Macaln and Glenfarclas stand out) and I’ve never been left with such a feeling. I wouldn't come to terms with that and, by the second tasting, I added a couple of drops of water and it improved substantially. You can then sense the Japanese character of the malt and enjoy the notes they are known for. The overwhelming alcohol and the thin body don’t allow me to give a better rating.
Very strong flavour, best one I've tried...so far. Wow!