Jose-Massu-Espinel
The Nikka 12 Year
Blended — Japan
Reviewed
July 16, 2020 (edited December 12, 2021)
This dram is one reason why japanese whiskies have so much fame. This dram, as the Hibiki and others, works perfectly and even if it is a little expensive for the age statement, most people who drink it will enjoy it. It is complex and delicious enough.
Bottled at 43%abv, tawny color.
On the nose, it is great. Orange marmalade with thick orange pieces. Vanilla biscuits. A Grassy tobacco note.
A complex citrusness. Lovely maraschino cherries. A very fancy caramel. Letting it breath makes it a lot better. A red fruit syrup; Old almost rancid oranges; Burnt cake crest, Burnt grass. It gets powerfully citric: Lime notes. There is a soap note somewhere.
Nosing it after the first sip reveals a thick caramel note, Orange syrup and Pepper. Aroma is fantastic really.
On the palate is a little straightforward, but fancy and enjoyable. Caramel, Honey and then a Strong pepper note that fades after a couple seconds. An overly citric orange note also appears. It has a nice character and it is easy drinkable.
Aftertaste is also very striaghtforward but very solid. Cough syrup, Tobacco leaf, leather and oak spice.
Overall this is a solid whisky. It is a good blend, and i don't know if they are making this anymore, but i bet people will enjoy it if they find a bottle. 90 over 100 is a fair score for it.
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@PBMichiganWolverine Oh you DO need a Spreadsheet. wow man, solid collection
@Jose-Massu-Espinel about 670 bottles, all accumulated over 15 years or more. And about 500 samples. It’s bad. I know.
@Jose-Massu-Espinel Haha clearly the difference between you and me is that you have a better memory :)
@ContemplativeFox @PBMichiganWolverine how many whiskies do you have that you need a Spreadsheet? lol!!! i have like 200 in my house and i know them from memory... even the exact place in the bar where they go. hahahahaha im not that different from you, my friends
@PBMichiganWolverine It never even occurred to me to record in my spreadsheet whether I have a bottle, but it sounds really useful. Thanks for the tip! Also, no shame in having a whiskey spreadsheet.
@jonwilkinson7309 Lol. Slow and steady bro, slow and steady. Seriously though, @PBMichiganWolverine is on a whole nother level! I’m not there yet haha
@PBMichiganWolverine @Anthology. Someday, I hope to be able to say, "Not sure if I have X whiskey...let me check my spreadsheet."
@PBMichiganWolverine You may not be alone (Re: whiskey spreadsheet). Not disturbing at all, says someone in the crowd who’s definitely ‘not in denial’
@Slainte-Mhath @Anthology @jonwilkinson7309 I just did a quick search on my spreadsheet...I apparently have this one. ( the most disturbing part of that sentence is that I have a whiskey spreadsheet)
@PBMichiganWolverine Nikka 12 is officially discontinued but they are selling the remaining stocks. Got a bottle at Narita Airport last year for about €40... a bargain.
@jonwilkinson7309 @PBMichiganWolverine I picked up a bottle of this Nikka 12Yr in Paris last November for €115. I also saw it for about €112 in duty free on a layover in Frankfurt airport...and there were quite a few bottles. I believe I saw some bottles in a couple of duty free shops in Europe. So I think it’s still available but you just have to be in the area...and lucky 😊. Also saw a bottle of Vintage Bruchladdich 1990 (27 Yr) for like €255 (maybe less). Totally beating myself up now for not grabbing a bottle while I had a chance 😬
@PBMichiganWolverine. It has been discontinued, although I occasionally see a bottle kicking around for sale. But at the going rate of $300 or so, it won't be finding its way to my collection.
Am surprised to see this is still in existence. I figured it would’ve been replaced by a NAS already