Nikka Whiskey from the Barrel

COUNTRY: Japan

ABV: 51%

COLOUR: Gold red copper

NOSE: Clean and crisp with hints of candied cherries, sherry sweetness, vanilla, and it smells like I am walking through a Japanese pine forest. Bits of banana, lots of oak and spicy cinnamon. The whisky needs to breathe a bit for the alcohol to disappear.

PALATE:  Big and bold with some alcohol bite. Oak, caramel, fruit with hints of vanilla and sweet paprika. Citrus notes that border on pectin with strong alcohol notes. Not as smooth as other expressions and somewhat one dimensional on the tongue.

FINISH: Crisp with notes of fruit and oakiness, hints of pepper and caramel.

Diluting this whiskey with water really brings out its sweeter notes; enjoy this straight or with some distilled water.