Nikka Whisky From the Barrel

First sip (neat), Smell of peat smoke and sea which cover other smell. Taste of salt and floral and since it's undiluted the taste is strong Finish a bit dry and medium long 2nd sip (neat) after 20min Smell of peat smoke is slightly decreased more floral and hint of citrus Taste of salt, more fruits and slightly more sweet Finish abit dry and medium 3rd sip (with 2 drops of water) Smell of peat smoke is decreased by a huge margin, more fruits aroma came out and with a hint of sherry. Taste is slightly thinner but with more floral notes and abit sherry, apple and less saltiness Finish abit dry and short What a blend! And very affordable too (since they bottle it 500ml). Nikka from the barrel 4/5 for the price!

Nose - Light floral, white fleshed fruites, unripe green plums, honeyed black tea. Taste - Sweet golden raisins, sugar coated gummy apples, more honeyed fruity oversteeped black tea lending a tiny hint of bitterness, faint whisp of a smoked tea like if you put tea in one of those cocktail smokers and let that mingle with the whisky in a glass. Hint of candied ginger. Finish - Lingering heat like if you took a bite of a potent piece of candied ginger, faint black tea bitterness. Score - 89/100 Final Thoughts - So I find this quite similar to the Taketseru 12 but slightly less smoky/peaty and has less of a Asian tropical fruit vibe. It's pretty tasty and is a bit higher proof which is nice. It's good on its own but I can see how it could get a bit boring. I could see this doing very well in a highball or maybe even a cocktail that features something like St. Germain, sparkling wine, or a lighter citrus like lemon or kumquat. More on the orange/lime/grapefruit and less lime as I can see that might be a bit too much for this.

Very nice, hard to belive it's a blend. Big flavors and nice finish. Excellent in this price range.