Nose: Apricots, cantaloupe, coconut, tea, toffee, bran, oats.
Nose: Big spices both savory and sweet make this seem bigger than 43%abv. Chunky malt, tea, toffee, peanuts, coconut, cereals. Leans towards malt rather than grain. Water brings out some classic Nikka bubblegum.
Finish: Malt, savory spices and cereals, Fades fairly quickly.
Last Word: A fine session whisky and great value in Japan at around AUD$30-35. The blend of coffey malt and grains makes for an intriguing and tasty whisky.
Rating: 85/100
* Here is an alternate review from Whiskies R Us http://whiskiesrus.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/nikka-date-blended-whisky.html
This sounds great Brian – where would I get some? Yuji Inoue only has the old black label version, which doesn’t sound as good
Through a personal contact in Japan Alan. Don’t know anything about the Black Labels quality or how far removed it is from the one in the post. I didn’t even notice Yuji had the Black Label until you mentioned it. Your brother may come across one somewhere, might be the only way to get one though Clint knows more about this series than I do. I’d certainly buy another.
Love these notes. I also got apricots (stewed) which I didn’t record but the coconut note is very intriguing, something I didn’t pick up. The joys of different atmosphere, palate, and play of water. Great stuff isn’t it.
I could see stuff in your post that I could relate to as well, that are not necessarily in mine Clint.