Nikka The Grain Whisky

Nikka The Grain Whisky

Nikka
Blended malt
Amber red
48% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, wheat beer, lemon zest, oatcakes, digestive biscuits, hints of sea salt. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, mouth coating, volatile. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Strawberry jam, oatcakes, raisins, wheat beer, apricot jam, golden syrup, hints of sunflower seeds. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, apricot jam, strawberry jam, golden syrup. 

Comments: 

A blend of old distillates from Nishinomiya (closed), Moji (closed), Satsumatsukasa (closed) and Miyagikyo (open). A very interesting whisky, many layers of complexity. It’s largely cereal and fruit, with a rather savoury nose. Very enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Nikka Days

Nikka Days

Nikka
Blended malt
Pale amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, camphor, grapefruit, green tea, hints of honeydew melons. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, expands slightly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Gooseberries, green tea, wet stones, sultanas, nutmeg, hints of brown paper. 
Finish: Short. Green tea, wet stones, gooseberries, honey. 

Comments: 

Realised I’d never had this, Nikka’s entry level blend. It’s alright, a little underpowered and inoffensive. Which is precisely what it was created to do.

Verdict:

I like this.

Nikka Rare Old Super

Nikka Rare Old Super 

Nikka
Blended malt
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, vanilla, lemon zest, fresh baked bread, hints of hoppy beer. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, hot, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Hoppy beer, vanilla, lemon zest, fresh baked bread, honey, barley sugar, hints of pear drops. 
Finish: Short. Malted grains, barley sugar, pear drops, lemon zest. 

Comments: 

Japanese blend. It’s not rare or old, or even super, but it’s quite decent. Lots of sweet malty notes, and some interesting esters. Decent session dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Nikka Pure Malt Red

Nikka Pure Malt Red

Official bottling
Blended malt
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, malted grains, barley sugar, orange peel, hints of raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, oily, chunky. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Honey, white pepper, barley sugar, vanilla raisins, hints of cola nuts. 
Finish: Short. Cola nuts, raisins, vanilla, honey. 

Comments: 

This expression, too, is being discontinued. So I decided to say goodbye to an old friend. It's sweet and full of barley, but also has a little spicy edge. It's really good value whisky, clear and distinctive flavours, and if any bottles survive the next twenty years, the old bottle effect will make it amazing.

Verdict:

I like this.

Nikka Pure Malt Black

Nikka Pure Malt Black

Official bottling
Blended malt
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, condensed milk, raisins, green tea, caramel, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slippery, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Raisins, butterscotch, sea salt, leather, honey, overripe damsons. 
Finish: Medium. Green tea, raisins, sea salt, caramel, leather. 

Comments: 

Nikka are discontinuing this, although I don't know why. Perhaps there was more aged whisky in this blend than people thought. In any case, it was a good idea to try it while there was still some available. It's lightly peated, lots of sweet notes, and some umami somewhere as well. Quite an enjoyable dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Nikka 12 yo

Nikka 12 yo

Nikka
Blend
Dark gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Green apples, orange juice, rhubarb and custard sweets, vanilla hints of white chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loose, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour . Lemon zest, orange juice, green apples, condensed milk, hints of vanilla. 
Finish: Medium. White grapes, condensed milk, tamarind, rhubarb and custard sweets. 

Comments: 

So this is what Nikka have been putting their Yoichi and Miyagikyo into. It's tart, slightly sweet, quite fruity and light. It's a shame about the single malts, they were so much better than this. It's not a bad blend, just... too easy drinking.

Verdict:

I like this.

Nikka Taketsuru 21 yo

Nikka Taketsuru 21 yo

Official bottling
Blended malt
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cookie dough, baking bread, apples, orange peel, hints of red grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, airy, slightly fizzy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Baking bread, rancio, apples, red grapes, vanilla, hints of peat. 
Finish: Medium. Baking bread, red grapes, raisins, vanilla. 

Comments: 

This is what Nikka is putting its aged casks towards, rather than issuing aged Yoichi or Miyagikyo single malt. It's not bad really, I don't know if it's better than the 17 yo. There's a lot of very nice red grapes, coupled with a hit of alluring rancio so pungent it's almost cheddar cheese. That evaporates quickly though, to be followed by yeasty baking bread and more of those heavenly red grapes.

Verdict:

I like this.

Nikka Taketsuru 17 yo

Nikka Taketsuru 17 yo

Official bottling
Blended malt
Dark gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cola, vanilla, cream, maple syrup, strawberries. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, sticky, loosens up. 
Tasting: Sweet. Cola, vanilla, custard, blueberries, hints of smoke. 
Finish: Long. Cola, blueberries, orange peel, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Oooh. Fragrant, highly fruity, with a complex nose redolent of cola nut. Root beer float whisky? This might just be the first. Very, very good indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Nikka Whisky from the Barrel

Nikka Whisky from the Barrel

Official bottling
Blended malt
Amber
51.4% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Banana, vanilla, oak, pineapple, camphor, apple, hints of orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slightly oily, thickens in the mouth.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Musk, camphor, banana, apples, melon, peat, hints of orange peel.
Finish: Long. Warm, chillies, vanilla.

Comments:

I'm not sure whether or not this is a blend or a vatted malt. The soft fruity oaky notes make me plump for the former. But there's a lot of robust stuff under the soft cloak - camphor, hints of chillies, and the muscular olive oil-like mouthfeel. My bottle (it only comes in half litres) gave me great pleasure.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.