Nikka Taketsuru 17 Year Pure Malt

Nose - is fresh apples, pears, citrus, vanilla, and just all those golden fruits and light sweetness that comes with them. A nice alcohol burn and then a light woody note just brings it all together into an incredibly nice whisky. Taste - A lot more spice and a touch of that apple sourness. A lot more vanilla and yes honey. If the opening was citrus summer, the flavor profile is late October citrus. It's no longer a hot summer where you want those fruits, but you're ready for a touch of spice and cider with your apples and pears. I've had this one open for nearly a year now, and it's just gotten better. A really light dram that is as complex as you could hope for but is incredibly light and fruity. This isn't my normal wheel house as I tend to enjoy more of the darker flavors and deeper notes, but I'm absolutely in love with this. As I ponder this more and more, I am getting a touch of smoke I originally thought was spice and oak. But no, I'm wrong...there is a light hint of ever so slight peat here to add that additional complexity. What an incredibly well thought out addition. 200 dollar price points should scare off a lot of buyers but if you're into this profile, even if 200 is out of your comfort zone, save up for a bottle if you can find it. If you spend 200 on bottles regularly, even if this isn't your wheel house get it. I know I'm giving a lot of 3+ scores but I'm so far reviewing some of my best whiskies. I have no intention of making 4's a common score.

Nose - Toasted spices, baked apples/pears, oaked chardonnay, dark tropical fruity honey, hint of dried longan. Taste - Dark tropical fruity apple/pear cider, hint of black pepper spice, subtle clean smoke, lightly medicinal dried longan, light bitterness like oversteeped black tea. Finish - Lingering black pepper spice, black tea bitterness, dried longan, faint clean smoke. Score - 90/100 Final Thoughts - This is a nice dram, nice complexity on the nose, well balanced, great subtle use of a clean smoke/peat. I'm not normally a huge fan of peat, but if done right, it can add a great layer of complexity and this does it very well. The one thing that is a bit off putting is the slight fruity medicinal notes combined with the smoke that gives me a bit of a band-aid note, but not enough to completely distract me. Overall very tasty, but I'm not sure I like this enough to get a whole bottle for myself.

I was invited a dram of this beauty and i got to say i loved it, this one is a very elegant and balanced drink, and i dont think it is cheap, but you certainly get what you are paying for. This is a Vatted (blended) malt, but japanese people call it "pure malt" Bottled at 43% with an amber color. On the nose you will find brown sugar, cremé brulee, oranges, caramel, cola, slight pepper and gas water (this is the first time i ever get this aroma). On the palate is outstanding, with wood, allspice, pine tree, oranges and almonds. The finish is medium with an ashy note. Overall this one is a 90 over 100, great dram.

I always "TRY" to scour the shelves at bars as sometimes find hidden gems at fair prices, especially given the secondary cost of some bottles in todays market / which sadly have also become the shelf price in many stores The nose was fruity, sherry The palate followed through with deliciousness The finish was enjoyable with a slight, just right "Kentucky hug" The pour was a very fair $35 The rating was higher then 4.25...might be a 4.5 may have to revisit this restaurant/ bottle so by default rating it at the higher 4.5 as it was THAT GOOD ;-) No Flaws

oaky, sweet maple and vanilla, with a hint of fruitiness on the nose. very gentle on the nose. no wayward ethanol vapors. something you can breathe in and out over and over again. sweet charred oak gives way to an burst of fruitiness. I tasted cherry. finish is medium length - sweet and oak. slight peatiness. as the dram went on, I tasted more of the peat. it was sweet charred peat. it was more reminiscent of the yamazaki 18 in it's sweet woodiness than a Laphroaig with it's mineral smokiness. overall, an excellent pour. I enjoyed it a lot.

Nose: sweet, inviting. Caramel. Anise. Oak. Faint sherry and chocolate. Floral herbaceous Body: medium Palate: smoky like whiffs of burnt caramel, sweet vanilla and caramel flavors evolve in waves, this is really really good stuff. Sherry pops out Finish: medium and evolving, only wished it lasted longer but it’s crazy smooth. Note: really incredible juice. So subtle yet distinctive. Smokey, sweet with lingering caramel so good.