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“Because you can't buy happiness... but you can buy whisky and that's pretty much the same thing”

Read stories about Nikka of A Wardrobe of Whisky blog.

You can read here older articles posted in A Wardrobe of Whisky since 2009.
The articles are sorted by publication date. You can either browse here, check the featured articles section or use the search bar on the top of this page.

Glory of the Grain Tweet Tasting #GrainWhiskyTT

By Miguel in Tasting , Featured , Cooley , Nikka , Cameronbridge , Invergordon

Yesterday we make some noise at Twitter. Steve Rush of The Whisky Wire invited me and around 20 more whisky lovers to a great blind tasting proposal: Glory of the Grain Tweet Tasting.

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Have you tried Grain Whisky? No? Oh, so don’t read the article. Pesky beverage, don’t even pay attention to it. It doesn’t worth your time…

If you have tasted them I can no longer conceal the secret so anyway, let me show you what we tasted blindly. It was quite fun and surprising because all but one of the samples were guessed by someone. My nose isn’t so skilled on grain whisky. Pity!.

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Japanese Blended Whiskies: A style on its own

By Miguel in Tasting , Nikka

I have decided to start cleaning my queue of samples. There are so much to drink that I have sorted them in a similar style so I can more easily compare them and find the greatest whisky between them. And all free for you!

On a first round, I am tasting four Japanese blended whiskies. They are not very common here in Europe but they are really tasty.

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Tasting Nikka Taketsuru 12 years old

By Miguel in Nikka , Whisky

“Fruity nose and a floral dry palate on this Taketsuru 12 years old by Nikka”

89
Nikka Taketsuru 12 year
A new (to us) blended malt from the Nikka family, Nikka Taketsuru is named after Masataka Taketsuru, who founded the company in 1934.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. honey, vanilla, citrus, fruits, pears, mango, apples, pepper.

Palate (88): dry, oily. honey, floral, citrus, flowers, liquorice, pepper, wood. Very floral and slightly dry towards the end.

Finish (88): average. honey, smoke, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Nikka Taketsuru 12 year with 89 points over 100.

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Nikka Taketsuru 21 years old: Supreme!

By Miguel in Tasting , Nikka

“Superb stuff by Nikka! This Taketsuru made with whiskies from Yoichi and Miyagikyo is really delicious ”

90
Nikka Taketsuru 21 year
February 2010 marked an extraordinary achievement for Nikka, as their Taketsuru 21yo scooped the title of 'World's Best Blended Malt Whisky' at the World Whiskies Awards for the third time in four years. Bravo, Nikka!

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, smoke, spices, cinnamon, nuts, chocolate, citrus, mango. This is a really nice nose!

Palate (90): powerful, oily. honey, smoke, spices, peat, citrus, vanilla, cocoa.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, nuts, peat.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Nikka Taketsuru 21 year with 90 points over 100.

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Japanese delights: Tasting Suntory Yamazaki, Hakushu, Hibiki and Nikka Taketsuru

By Miguel in Tasting , Featured , Nikka , Suntory , Yamazaki , Hakushu , Hibiki

After all the buzz with Whisky Show 2012, I was desperately in need of more good whisky. I have sorted all my samples in a very nice way, which allows me to grab all of them easily for vertical tastings.

Yeah, very nice, but when you just want to have a few drams it doesn’t look such a good decision. I have still to think about how to sort them in a better way. ( Any ideas btw? )

I have take thirteen japanese single malts and blended whiskies to taste. They have been there in a box around three months for me to find a few spare hours to taste them. Well, today is the day!.

suntory-yamazaki-nikka-taketsuru-tasting-whisky

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TWE Whisky Show 2012: What I couldn't taste [Part 4]

By Miguel in Laphroaig , Cooley , Chivas , Johnnie Walker , The Macallan , Dewar , Penderyn , Bunnahabhain , Compass Box , Monkey Shoulder , Glenfiddich , The Balvenie , Kilchoman , Highland Park , Bowmore , Yoichi , Nikka , Suntory , Balblair , Redbreast , Glenfarclas , Connemara , Ichiro , Rosebank , Benriach , Glendronach , Old Pulteney , Dalmore , Glen Garioch , Big Peat , Glenglassaugh , Glenrothes , Maker's Mark , Hibiki , Four Roses , Glencadam , Wemyss , Douglas Laing

This post continue from TWE Whisky Show [Part 3]

The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show 2012 took place at October 6th and 7th and although it has been a great experience it has been a short one. With over 450 whiskies to taste and just barely six hours ahead it was impossible to taste them all.

What I couldn’t taste

This post is just a set of photos of what I couldn’t taste. Sorry, people… I can write about this because I get sad… so great stuff that I had to skip… *sniff*

I visited Compass Box stand for saying hi to Chris and I take a few photos with the people on the show.

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Nikka Taketsuru 17 years old Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Recommended , Nikka

“Delightful! I can't express with words the fruity, honey and spices torrent that this japanese blended malt delivers.”

93
Nikka Taketsuru 17 year
Taketsuru 17 years old is delicious blended malt whisky from Nikka that won't disappoint you. It is hard to find a scotch whisky so good for this price.

This whisky is named after Nikka's founder, the whisky-pilgrim Masataka Taketsuru.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (93): strong. melon, peaches, honey, vanilla, a little orange zest, dates, chocolate.

Palate (93): light, oily, powerful. peaches, wood, honey, spices, pepper, coffee, a little peat.

Finish (92): very long. wood, honey, vanilla, peaches.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Nikka Taketsuru 17 year with 93 points over 100.

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The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai

By Miguel in Yoichi , Nikka , Drink & Arts

The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Hokusai

The great wave off kanagawa

The picture

An example of ukiyo-e art, it was published sometime between 1830 and 1833, during the Edo Period, as the first in Hokusai’s series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, and is his most famous work.

This particular woodblock is one of the most recognized works of Japanese art in the world.

It depicts an enormous wave threatening boats near the Japanese prefecture of Kanagawa. While sometimes assumed to be a tsunami, the wave is, as the picture’s title notes, more likely to be a large okinami lit. “wave of the open sea.”
As in all the prints in the series, it depicts the area around Mount Fuji under particular conditions, and the mountain itself appears in the background.

The dram: Nikka Yoichi 10 years old

a bottle of Nikka Yoichi 10 years old
A Nikka Yoichi 10 years old fits best. Yoichi is a peated sweet and spicy Japanese whisky. This bold and distinctive single malt whisky was distilled and matured at the Yoichi distillery in Hokkaido, birthplace of Nikka Whisky. The Yoichi distillery continues to adhere to techniques such as the use of coal-fired pot stills, and otherwise remains loyal to the whisky-making traditions dating back to its foundation.

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Nikka Whisky From the Barrel Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Nikka
88
Nikka from the barrel
Nikka from the Barrel is big-boned and bursting with character. Not averse to a drop of water, either. A real star, winning top prize in its category at the World Whisky Awards in 2007 and 2010.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (84): inexistent. sweet, floral, wood, closed. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (92): . sweet, floral, wood, honey, vanilla, spices, a little peat. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (88): no finish. honey, floral, wood. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Nikka from the barrel with 88 points over 100.

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Nikka All Malt Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Recommended , Nikka

“ A whirlpool of honey, toffee, spices, wood and fruits in your mouth. You can’t believe this is bottled just at 40% ABV. And look that price!”

89
Nikka All Malt Pure and Rich
In general, Nikka blended whisky is created from malt whisky made from barley malt in pot stills, and grain whisky made by distilling corn and other grains in a patent (Coffey) still. The main feature of the all-malt process is that top-quality barley malt is used instead of corn in the Coffey still, resulting in a whisky made entirely from malt. All-malt whisky, made from barley alone and blended from malts matured over long periods of time, is blessed with a deep scent and mellow taste.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (84): inexistent. sweet, fruity, honey, wood, spices, peach, salt. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (96): . sweet, honey, toffee, vanilla, fruity, great, wood, sherry, smoke. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (88): no finish. honey, wood, a little smoky. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Nikka All Malt Pure and Rich with 89 points over 100.

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