Nikka Days

Floral and vanilla on nose. Bit of pear and honey mixed in with grains. Quick spice build to round out back end. Not much complexity or depth. It is drinkable neat though as many others have said, would go well in a cocktail.

Meh. Young and simple. I’d mix it. (4 Advent19)

Day 4 Advent calendar. Smooth with a nice light pete taste.

A good evening whiskey...

Nose - Gentle nose, sweet young grain, floral honey, pears, hint of vanilla Taste - Light floral honey sweet, candied ginger, light corn syrup sweet, light pear skin bitter Finish - Faint sweet grains, light bitter corn syrup, light floral honey, faint ginger tingle Score - 67/100 Final Thoughts - As expected, this tastes like a very young grain heavy blend meant for mixing as a highball. It tastes young and a bit astringent with a corn syrup sweetness. Hints of a floral honey & light pear will make this a nice light mixer in a highball as I think the club soda will help mask the light bitter notes on the back palate and finish. This isn't horrible to sip neat, but it does have some slightly off-putting bitter notes and it's just not that complex. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe in a highball? Would I buy a bottle? - No

On nose: light, sweet, vanilla. On palate: vanilla sweet, short, unexpected spicey finish.

This Japanese blend from Nikka contains whisky from both the Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. It’s all NAS juice, but it is comprised of all Japanese malt and grain whisky. It’s limited to the European Union countries and not available here in the states. I added a bottle of this to an international order back in the spring of 2019. It’s bottled at 40% and I got it for $34. So, it was an easy throw-in bottle to a medium-sized order. It’s shimmering gold in the tasting glass with watery, fat legs and very heavy, watery droplets. The nose is mostly floral with vanilla pound cake and some slightly astringent and distant citrus notes. There’s no need to let it linger prior to going in for a taste- it doesn’t open up to any surprises or complexities. The palate is all cereals and light malts, with more floral and bready components. There’s some orchard fruits like pears and red delicious apples forming a mid sip backbone. The finish is short and somewhat sweet, vanilla and toffee candies that lead to the ultimate final dry florals. It’s so easy drinking it’s scary. Ultimately, I’m not sure what this could be used for except adding alcohol to a weak, fruity cocktail or tossing in some ice cubes and drinking it while mingling with friends at some backyard cookout or party. You can brag about drinking the “new hotness: Japanese whisky” without spending serious money on the heavy hitter bottles. There is that, I suppose. Overall, it’s a 2.5 star dram with a slight bump for the low price, but sadly it’s not available in North America. So, the bump gets retracted because it’s limited release for Europeans. If you can grab a bottle or a pour for less than $3-4 I’d say give it a go, otherwise, it’s easily forgettable. Cheers.