G’day,
In my latest YouTube Video here, I do the wrap up video for 7 Day’s of Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt Whiskies and rank them from last to first place.
Kampai
Brian
Hey friends,
I’m about half way through my YouTube reviews of the Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt “standard” range, No Age Statement through to 35 Year Old. You can check them on my channel here.
Kampai
Brian
Hey friends,
In today’s video I chat about what’s coming up on the channel and review Ichiro’s Malt Double Distilleries Chichibu x Komagatake. So, do we get a winner when whiskies from two different Japanese Whisky producers are blended together? Lets find out! Thanks for watching : )
Kampai
Brian
Nose: Light earthy peat. Nutmeg, wet wool, cacao powder, pears, white peaches, red apple skins, licorice root. A savoury note with water added.
Palate: Fermented pears and apples, vanilla, chilli flakes, white oak, nutmeg, salt, licorice root, butter, icing sugar. Some orange sherbet with water added. Medium bodied.
Finish: Nutmeg, cacao powder, almonds, licorice root, butter beans, ash. Touch of lemon and some juicy oranges with water added.
Last Word: A decent whisky that improves a month or so after opening and the fill level drops. However, not really a patch on the previous version with the dark label.
I suspect the main reason is a dearth of sherry cask mature whiskies at Nikka’s distilleries. Seems to me there is no sherry cask whisky in this newer blend, where it is an obvious influence in the previous version which was much richer and rounder. If you can still get your hands on the older version, run don’t walk to stock up!
Rating: 82/100
Nose: Honey, brine, chocolate, preserved pears, hint of earthy peat, seaweed, greed apples, marshmallows, coal.
Palate: Chocolate, brine, red grapes, read apples, brine, blueberries, a little oily but overall the body is thin and brittle.
Finish: Some brine, earthy peat, ash blueberries, pie crust. The oiliness is more evident on the finish:
Last Word: Can’t really hang with a good batch of the 17 or 21 year olds. Not sure if it is just the low abv but too thin and brittle for my tastes.
Rating: 80/100
Nose: Stone fruits of peaches, plums and apricots. Toffee, oak, wood spice. Banana Flambeau and a corn note I’d associate with a blended whisky. Water brings out orange juice.
Palate: Ginger, nutmeg, pepper, oak, banana, creamed corn, cashews. Arnott’s Savory Shapes Biscuits, orange juice. The spices are quite prominent and make this quite punchy at ‘only’ 43%abv. Water introduces some Fruit Tingles Sweetness.
Finish: Banana’s, butter, cashews, mint, BBQ hotplate, orange juice.
Last Word: Not the last word in complexity/boldness but I am sure that was deliberate. There is enough going on with the punchy spices and nicely balanced with a little water added.
Rating: 85/100
Nose: Cantaloupe, honeydew melon, almonds, macadamia’s, hint of white pepper and a slight dusty note.
Palate: Without water I’d say fairly one dimensional on peanuts, peanut butter, black pepper and freshly sawn timber. Water brings back the cantaloupe and macadamia’s and adds some strawberry compote and cocoa powder.
Finish: Cantaloupe, peanut butter and some mouth drying wood tannins.
Last Word: While I would not call this a bad or cheap tasting spirit, it just doesn’t get me excited. I also have an unopened bottle of the Yamakazura Cask Strength Sherry Wood Finish so will be reviewing that some time down the track.
Rating: 80/100