Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt (Discontinued)

N: Fruit forward with light but rich smoke. The fruit is peach, pear, maybe some pineapple. Also red fruit, both fresh and dried. There's something else more pungent lingering at the back of it too - maybe a sour fruit, but hard to place. A nice base of caramel and vanilla sit under the fruit. The smoke is clearly a Yoichi smoke, which is quite recognizable - it's like a Japanese Johnnie Walker, which I like. This is not quite that - it is softer and sort of baked in in a way that comes through more as smoothed out background noise rather than primary note. Finally, there are also some harsher young grain notes that creep in in the form of a little mint and ethanol. Numbing and a bit distracting, but not overwhelming. P: Red fruit hits first, then gives way to a powdered milk chocolate around the sides of the tongue. Caramel and vanilla develop early on subsequent sips. A chalky mineral note builds mid-palate next to something like a sour pineapple, both still undercut and complimented by the chocolate - pretty nice. Smoke builds late and lingers deep into the finish. A sort of generic, but hot, baking spice also builds through the finish. There is also some chocolate still hanging around, little bit of wood bitterness, and just a hint of mint. I've heard this is no comparison to the aged Taketsurus that disappeared five years ago or so. That may be so, but it's also basically irrelevant to someone like me. I don't think I'm an average whisky drinker - pushing 100 reviews in less than a year - but I'm also not scouring auctions looking for dead whiskies like the aged Taketsurus. It is what it is, and I'll take what I can get (relatively easily). And, in the end, this is still pretty good. It's a fair entry for its price range. Not a great value, but not a bad one either. I'd buy it again. That said, I know this is discontinued now too. I have a new white label Taketsuru on the shelf too. Offhand, I think the new one is an improvement, but let's see where the review lands when I get there.

Continuing to work my way through whiskies in my collection that I've not yet reviewed. I bought this bottle a few years ago, and apparently it's since been discontinued. It was another impulse purchase when Japanese whisky was really taking off, and my favorite (Hibiki 12) was getting very scarce. Color is a clear Pantone 137. Nose is reminiscent of fruitcake and honeycomb, with saline, malt, and some yeasty bread dough following. Not nearly as viscous as the Mars Iwai Tradition I reviewed immediately preceding this, but there is some creaminess; it's not thin, and the flavors are fuller and more intense. There's some sweet dried orange, and a little smoke and charcoal on the finish. While this whisky is pleasant enough, it pales in comparison to its Nikka Whisky From The Barrel sibling, which is divine. This is a blend, and qualifies as a "Japanese Whisky." 3.5 on the Distiller scale. Would I buy it again? That's something of a moot point, as this particular release has been discontinued--although there is a 2020 (and continuing) bottling with a different label and a "refined formula" according to the company. 43% ABV. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

The sherry-inflected nose invites a patient and careful sitting to appreciate this whisky’s nuances. I smell almond, moss, and warming malt at play with the sherry. Manuka honey shows up on the palate, with the notes from the nose showing up as well. The malt is rich and yet gentle, reminiscent of a light-roast coffee. The mouthfeel is pleasant and youthful, astringent and acorn-like. Taketsuru Pure Malt finishes with a flourish of spice and marzipan to carry the otherwise gentle flavors back to their beginning. The scent of delicate pipe tobacco lingers in the empty glass. This special whisky is complex and nuanced, with abundant if not somewhat reserved character. It’s one to be savored and treated with patience as it keeps unfolding; like a familiar place that you find isn’t finished telling its secrets. This whisky has elements that remind me of a Speyside single malt like AnCnoc.

An intense, Japanese blended malt, non-age-statement of Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt whisky, named after the company's founder, Masataka Taketsuru. It features plenty of whisky from the Miyagikyo distillery, as well as percentage of malt matured in Sherry casks to give it a rich, spiced nose. It has a floral birth with notes of Sherry-soaked plums, raisins & green apple slices, honied cereal, black pepper, hints of caramel, cinnamon & barrel char; while a rich & spicy life adds notes of Espresso beans, milk chocolate, tobacco leaf & Sherried fruit, nutmeg, oaky vanilla, floral & a slight touch of smoke; that led to a long & complex death with notes of cinnamon, creamy caramel, smoke, golden barley & a final hint of coffee. October 2017 / August 2022

This is a nice, smooth Japanese whisky. The overall flavor is not super deep, but there are some good notes to this one, and the finish is quite nice. The nose is a little bit thin, but it has that nice honey sweetness typical of the other Japanese whiskies I have tried. The palate opens up to a bit of a nutty character with maybe just a hint of orange. That honey sweetness sticks around on the finish, again, it's very smooth, and lingers for awhile pretty nicely. The nose, and finish are really nice, and a greater depth of flavor would really help compliment the solid aspects of this whiskey.

Nose: Honey, dried fruits- apple, pear, cherry, golden raisins, citrus peel, sherry, light creaminess, lightest hint of a nutty almond note, medium earthy notes, heather, honeysuckle. Taste: Light sweetness of honey mixed with fruit, herbal notes with an earthy touch, nuttiness tries to peek through, pleasant light char that’s almost peat like, a citrus almost lemon peppery note on the finish. Medium finish in length, well balanced whiskey, smooth, easy going. Not overly complex but certainly not too boring. Hopefully the replacement is just as good.