Continuing on the series of spirit reviews: the Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt. I grabbed this bottle just over a year ago and finished it last night. Gone are the days where you can wander into a liquor store and find a Yamazaki 12 or Hibiki 12 (sad times). These days most of the Japanese whisky companies seem to be releasing no age statement whiskys into the international markets. Luckily, at least this means no lining up and no lotteries for these readily accessible spirits. I snagged a bottle from the LCBO at King and Spadina.
Anyways, on the whisky itself there’s a lot to like. The Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt is a blended malt from Miyagikyo/Yoichi. Age-wise – it’s around 10 years in a few different cask types. This was my anytime evening whisky for the last few months. Relatively smooth and floral with some caramel notes to start. Extremely drinkable and you’ll find yourself pouring yourself a second or third one. I don’t consider it to be as enjoyable as the Yamazaki 12/18 or the Hibiki 12/17/21. However, considering those are impossible to find in North America, this is a relatively good for a Japanese whisky almost always on the shelves.
Not particularly well rated based on a meta critic rating of around 8.4 (I consider 8.8+ to be a “highly rated whiskey”).
Rating: 4/5
