Nikka Taketsuru 17 Year Pure Malt

Tasted as part of a 12/17/21 yr flight. Really nice. Smooth, a bit sweet, and somewhat earthy. HUGE step up from the 12 but I really couldn’t tell the difference between the 17 and the 21 so the 17 might be the better “value”. Value is relative here... Last I checked the 17 was over $200. It was great but not worth $200+ in my opinion.

Rich and warm, earthy, spicy, pepper, pear fruits, a hint of hot on the front but clean sweet and smooth finish. Gentle peat makes the finishing point.

Nose - Toasted spices, baked apples/pears, oaked chardonnay, dark tropical fruity honey, hint of dried longan. Taste - Dark tropical fruity apple/pear cider, hint of black pepper spice, subtle clean smoke, lightly medicinal dried longan, light bitterness like oversteeped black tea. Finish - Lingering black pepper spice, black tea bitterness, dried longan, faint clean smoke. Score - 90/100 Final Thoughts - This is a nice dram, nice complexity on the nose, well balanced, great subtle use of a clean smoke/peat. I'm not normally a huge fan of peat, but if done right, it can add a great layer of complexity and this does it very well. The one thing that is a bit off putting is the slight fruity medicinal notes combined with the smoke that gives me a bit of a band-aid note, but not enough to completely distract me. Overall very tasty, but I'm not sure I like this enough to get a whole bottle for myself.

Best whisky I have. No longer letting friends taste it!