whiskeylab
Nikka Whisky From the Barrel
Blended — Japan
Reviewed
October 23, 2019 (edited December 10, 2019)
I bought a second bottle of this on hype alone before having a first taste. Sure it has a delicate nose and well balanced taste but come on, so do a lot of other scotch. it's good but not amazing and certainly not worth driving in a panic to the store where a bottle was sighted. After chasing all these sought after bottles and whispering "my precious", I've been disappointed too many times. it's caused me to have a whiskey meltdown and question what have I been doing with my life and money collecting these bottles. I look at the unopened bottles and just see more disappointment to come. The whiskey i've really enjoyed are few and not ones being chased. Noahs Mill, Jefferson's Ocean Cask strength, Bookers, Baker's, Peerless. I've never been a follower and this is why. Somehow I got duped into following the whiskey sheep in my quest to explore the world of whiskey. My curious quest turned into a frantic race for the last bottle on the shelf just because it's what everyone else wants like a Christmas Eve panic to find that over commercialized toy. It's insanity. The more I watch youtube reviews, the more I see sponsored influencers and "kid glove" tasters who try not to upset any followers/patron. I have a lifetime of whiskey to drink and some of it will taste lovely and interesting and some will taste of regret. Nikka from the barrel was not the only disappointment but it was the straw. Rant complete.
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@whiskeylab - perhaps you’re right; but taste is subjective and many many people cherish a free buzz over splitting hairs as a Connoisseur.
I have more than a few bottles that won't get finished in a collection that's nearing 200, so it's great to know that I'm not the only one with these problems. But more experience means fewer mistakes, and my errors are becoming much more infrequent (long gone are the days of, "Distiller gave it a 90+, so it's definitely a buy!!) As for the Nikka, I have two bottles, bith of which I picked up for $50. Easily worth it at that price. But I've also seen it at close to $200. At that price, it's a simple NFW.
@Evilbiochemistis is wrong if i don't have anyone worthy of giving something i don't cherish? it's the true definition of purgatory
Money isn’t real- and disappointment is a great learning experience. Besides- give the crappy bottles to your friends and they’ll be delighted. Win win 🥃🍾
@WhiskeyLonghorn Ah nice. Hopefully you love the GD 18 one of my favorites! Gets better over time. One of the rare drams that can last a year or so open easy
@whiskeylab I get that. I have 20 open bottles but I tend to favor the same three or four. Money well spent...
@Soba45 wise words. I’ve got two bottles left to track down this year based on multiple rave reviews. Then it’s time to enjoy the spoils and let my bank account recover. I just picked up a Glendronach 18 bottles in 2017 that I’m waiting for a special moment to crack open.
@WhiskeyLonghorn Yeah I did that for a while but I just wasted a ton of $ and gave most of it away. Moved on to trying before I buy which improved the hit ratio and reduced waste vastly. I still got caught out on variances though especially sourced bourbon, ones where they have slowly degraded over time e.g. Noah's mill. Also not all non sourced age statements are the same e.g. Longrow 18 I specifically got the bottle from the year two people I trusted raved about. You can't try everything however before you buy so I don't think there is anything wrong with being a discerning follower. You just need to only heed the recommendations of people you trust not the latest fad. You accommodate your differences in opinion and only buy the unicorns that those people rave about that are within your budget. Like @PBMichiganWolverine I really try to limit the number of bottles open as even spirits have a bell curved, improve after initial opening then start fading. There are big differences between different ones in this respect. Anyway novella over! :-)
@whiskeylab I have 6 cracked...but 600 uncracked and needing a desperate library style organization system
@WhiskeyLonghorn me too. i have about 60 bottles cracked when i should only have about 6.
I’m with @1901. Got carried away trying to try everything this year. Spent too much. Got some dud bottles. Gonna spend the foreseeable future working through the open bottles.
I can relate to that. Great rant! It's too easy to get carried away