G’day,
In my latest YouTube video here I review the Yoichi 2000’s Single Malt 57%abv. Never bought a bottle when they were released and hadn’t tasted up until now. After tasting do I now wish I’d bought a bottle? Is it better than the Miyagikyo 2000’s Single Malt? Let’s find out!
Kampai
Brian
G’day,
I’m heading to Borneo for a week of wildlife photography & videography. On Sunday the 16th July Australia time there should be a new video on my YouTube channel where I review the Yoichi Nikka Bar Restaurant Bangkok. Home page for the bar reads – Our store is a sister store of the popular long-established store “THE NIKKA BAR” in Sapporo, Hokkaido (Susukino). You can follow up on the channel here.
Kampai
Brian
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
Hi friends,
In this video I review the Yoichi Grande Single Malt 2022. Are these no age statement Nikka Whiskies worth the money being asked? How does this one stack up against other Nikka Special Editions? Lets find out!
Kampai
Brian
Nose: Fruity, malty, earthy. Dried pears, dried apples, orange peels, currants. Dusty oak, rhubarb, lemon juice, barley, vanilla. Even with the earth and oak there is a crispness to the nose. Almonds and more vanilla with water added.
Palate: Palate has some decent punch for 47%abv. Malt, dried apples, nutmeg, strawberry shortbread, almonds, hazelnuts. Heated copper and a touch of sulphur. Some pepper with water added. Medium bodied.
Finish: Oak, cacao powder, earth, vanilla pods. The finish starts on the short side but lengthens after a few sips. A little drier with water added.
Last Word: I was sceptical when I first heard about this release. A No Age Statement, Non-Peated Yoichi, whoop-de-do. Another overpriced novelty?
I’m not convinced it’s worth the price but, it’s a lot better than I expected and a decent step up from the standard No Age Statement Yoichi Single Malt. I suspect there is some long aged whisky in the blend.
Rating: 88/100
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: Grapefruit, varnish, apples, dried pears, lemons, tar, brine, damp earth. Doesn’t nose like there is a lot of older malt in the blend.
Palate: Blueberries, dark chocolate, Sara Lee Apple Danish, peat, damp earth, black currants, brine, oily mouth feel. Water brings out some of that multi-fruit breakfast juice. Medium Bodied.
Finish: Peat, coal, blueberries, menthol, ash, oak, tobacco leaf, tea tannins. The finish is longer, more citric and oilier with water added. In fact, it’s quite long indeed.
Last Word: Definitely has the Yoichi DNA and the Apple Brandy Wood Finish has no more than a very subtle influence!
Rating: 87/100
Nose: Sherry, oak, shoe polish, match box, grapefruit, apple core, peppermint.
Palate: Match box, coal fire, ash, hay, grappa, horse stables. For me quite a strange funk to the palate on not in an appealing way.
Finish: Grappa, horse stables or in general just farmy, boiled eggs. Quite bizarre.
Last Word: Every now and again a distilleries house style and the cask type clash. This is one of them and I would never recognise this as a Yoichi Whisky. Like the Miyagikyo Manzanilla Cask Finish my least favorite of those I’ve tasted in the series being inferior in my opinion to both the Moscatel and Port Wood finishes. I haven’t tasted too many duds from Yoichi but this is one and possibly the worst.
Rating: 76/100
Nose: Red Grapes, quince paste, marmalade, sherry, blueberries, vanilla, toffee, balsamic, Bonox(beef stock paste), a little pepper and coal. I’d class it as velvety and satisfyingly rich.
Palate: Cocoa powder, chocolate mouse, coffee beans, sherry, vanilla, Brazil nuts, blueberries, salt, cloves, raisins, oily.
Finish: Sherry, Brazil nuts, cocoa powder, minerals, raisins, coal, cigar leaf.
Last Word: I spent around 30 minutes chatting at the Nikka stand at WhiskyLive last weekend. There were 6 expressions on offer and the general consensus seemed to be this was the pick of the litter. For myself this has either a lot of excellent young malt whiskies in the mix or, and I believe this is more the case, a large chunk of older whiskies in the mix especially from sherry casks. I bought a bottle straight away so that should be enough of an endorsement. A huge improvement over the my last bottle of no age statement Taketsuru, significantly better than the last bottle of Taketsuru 12 I had and in all honesty, if this quality remains I won’t need to lament the discontinuance of the 17 year old.
Rating: 87/100
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: A medley of dried fruits made up of apricots, papaya, pears and dates. Quince jam, old leather chairs, pepper, cloves, hint of vanilla, eucalyptus, camphor, charred oak and candied orange slices. Water adds lime water and brandy snaps. Could nose this all day long!
Palate: A bowl of mixed nuts, an earthy element, camphor, menthol, ginger, paprika, the candied orange slices, hoisin sauce. With water we have the quince jam, dates and dried papaya.
Finish: Cloves, pepper, menthol, dried tobacco leaves, salted dark chocolate and cocoa.
Last Word: Another cracking Yoichi 10YO Single Cask Whisky. Can find no reason why this would have needed a single day longer in the barrel!
Rating: 90/100
Nose: Banana mouse, brandy, blueberries, toffee, steamed corn cob, apricots, maple syrup, hint of orange, bay leaves.
Palate: Paprika, oregano, chili powder, chocolate coated coffee beans, mashed banana’s, blueberries, toffee, old leather, dried tobacco leaves.
Finish: Oregano, pepper, dried tobacco leaves, fried banana, pineapple, bay leaves.
Last Word: The mainly sweet nose belies the herbaceous palate and finish that follows. A very smooth and approachable blended whisky, there should still be enough flavor and complexity to satisfy many. A little bit of Yoichi peated whisky in the mix to add a smoky element would not have gone astray.
Rating: 86/100
Update: With a little over a third of the bottle gone there is now some obvious Yoichi smokiness coming through. Add a point.