Nikka Pure Malt Black Whisky

Maybe it's the unconscious psychological influence of the name--"Black"--but I'd almost suggest this is basically like a better, more focussed, all-malt (and obviously Japanese) version of Johnnie Walker Black Label. On the nose you've got the smoke (equal parts campfire and burnt bog), salt, seaweed, pepper, lemon zest. A bit of caramel/toffee and vanilla. Pretzel. A hint of red fruits--apples and berries especially. Icing sugar. Surprising body at 43% ABV, with some sugar/maple syrup, more lemon zest, caramel, and a lot of the nose redux--smoke, salt, sweet. Some spice/heat, vanilla, and more maple syrup with some cedar wood and a touch of bitter chocolate. Short, crisp finish--heat, wood, sweet, then gone. A bit pricy for what you're getting (about $50 for 500mL in Canada--that unorthdox bottle size is one of the reasons it's not available in the US), but really enjoyable and--even at the relatively low ABV--it plays super well in a lot of contexts: neat, over a single large cube, mizuwari, or highball. I've come to realize, indeed, that this versatility seems to be true for most Japanese whiskies I've tried (unlike their Scottish siblings which sometimes drown in water or ice).

Nikka just make beautiful stuff, and this whisky is no exception. A very smoky and super pleasant dram, bottled in a very simplistic decanter. Its all flavor, not marketing. This "pure malt" means Blended malt, a legal definition everybody used till 2005 when Johnnie Walker messed up things a little, forcing the Scotch Whisky Association to held the term "Blended Malt" as the legal one for a mixture of single malts from different distilleries without grain whisky on the recipe, just barley. This baby is bottled at 43%abv, beautiful amber color. On the nose, it is pretty aromatic. Hay, Dry brown Grass, Old Orange peel. Grassy Vanilla. Burnt dry grass and Malted barley. On the palate, it is a little straightforward but pretty pleasant. Orange and Hay mostly. Spicy pepper, super balanced dram. Malted barley. Aftertaste is just amazing. Just two notes, but very clean, very enjoyable: tobacco and a light smoke. Delicious. Overall it is so good that my scoring system said 87, but i am giving it one more point only because of how pleasant and easy drinkable it is. 88 over 100, Kanpai!

Last sample of the night is Nikka Pure Malt Black. This is an NAS blended malt whisky from Japan, it's also my first Japanese whisky, so there's that! Bottled at 43% ABV it's a medium gold in the glass. It coats the glass with a nice oily coating and leaves decent legs. On the nose there are light grassy/floral notes; some citrus and orchard fruits. There's not really any noticable smoke, but there is a very light alcohol burn. Not bad, but not too impressive. The palate is much better. There is slightly dark sweetness like light caramel. Also apples and honey. A light heat with some dark sweet cereal tones. Really pretty nice. The finish is a little disappointing. It's short, malty, and finally reveals a hint of smoke. This edition of Nikka is not available in the US. It lists for $51 on MasterOfMalt. If I could pick up a bottle locally for $51 I would be willing to do so. Overall not bad. 3.75/5.0. Cheers!

The nose brings a gentle minty peat. Theres some dark fruit and a maltiness that presents as damp, days-old grass cuttings. The arrival is sharp, spicy and dry. The peat starts to assert itself in the development, with wood spice and ginger. The mintiness returns on the finish. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad blended Japanese whisky. Maybe I just need to try more! But this is a solid and affordable blend that can definitely be sipped on its own.

A rich, blended malt made up of whisky from Nikka's Yoichi & Miyagikyo distilleries. It has a floral birth with notes of fruit, a bit spiced, citrus/orange peel, apricot, vanilla extract, caramel & wood; while a rich life adds notes of chocolate & nutmeg (A spicy Christmas cake); that led to a long, warm & creamy death with notes of oak, a touch of smoke, red chili & vanilla. October 2017 / July 2020 / August 2022

Nose: plum, (vanilla) sweet, must be careful can easily inhale alcohol. Predicts some spicy punch in the face. Taste: sweet, then the predicted punch comes in a form of pungent spices. Finish: sweet, spicy, moderately bitter. At the end some smokiness remains. Quality dram, but too spicy for my taste.