Nikka - Whisky From The Barrel 102.8 Proof
Price: $80.05
Whisky Advocate- #1 Whisky of 2018
| Producer | Nikka |
| Country | Japan |
| Style | Japanese Whisky |
| Sku | 03579 |
Nikka Description
Masataka Taketsuru, Nikka’s founder and Father of Japanese Whisky, came from a lineage of sake brewers, dating back to 1733. Taketsuru studied diligently at university as a chemist preparing to carry on the family trade, but soon took a personal interest in whisky. Masataka joined Settsu Shuzo, a liquor company with plans to produce a Japanese whisky. In 1918, Settsu Shuzo sent Taketsuru to the University of Glasgow - making him the first Japanese student to study the art of whisky making, in the ancestral home of Scotch whisky. Taketsuru returned to Japan in 1920 with plans to produce Japan’s first whisky for Settsu Shuzo. However, when Shuzo couldn’t carry out the plan, he was recruited by the founder of Kotobukiya - now Suntory - and directed to build Yamakazi and produce the first Japanese whisky. Relentlessly passionate about quality, Taketsuru used what he learned in Scotland to create the Japanese style of whisky, unique to the country. After a 10-year contract with Kotobukiya, Taketsuru left to build the Yoichi distillery in Hokkaido, where Nikka was born. Unlike Scotland, where barrel samples are often traded between distilleries to create blended whiskies, Japanese distillers create numerous in-house variations from their own distillery’s new make spirit. In addition, oak treatment in Japan can range from first-fill American oak casks to used American barrels to former sherry butts, bourbon casks and even mizunara, an expensive Japanese oak. Masataka established Nikka because he was determined to introduce his fellow Japanese to the joys of authentic whisky. In the decades since, as his company developed and the enjoyment of whisky became a fixture in Japan, he remained relentlessly passionate about quality. Never did he allow it to be sacrificed in favor of efficiency.
Nikka From The Barrel is a blended whisky created to deliver full flavors and richness of whisky “from barrels” which only blenders can sniff and taste.
The iconic bottle is designed to reflect “a small block of whisky” – embodying the rich, strong taste of the whisky within.
From The Barrel is an extremely complex blended whisky bottled at 51.4% ABV. In order to deliver its richness and full flavors, the blended liquid goes into used barrels for another few months for “marriage” before it is bottled.
Whisky Advocate: 94 Points
For Nikka From the Barrel, it’s been a long road to Whisky of the Year. This Japanese blend made its U.S. debut in 2018, but its inception dates back more than 30 years. In 1985, Nikka Whisky Distilling Company’s blending team, led by Shigeo Sato, designed this whisky using both malt and grain whiskies produced at Nikka’s Yoichi and Miyagikyo Distilleries. When taking into account the full array of casks—bourbon barrels, sherry butts, refill hogsheads, and more—over 100 different constituent whiskies are enlisted.
“From the Barrel” suggests barrel proof, but that’s not the case. The blenders made a conscious decision to bottle at 51.4% (derived from 90 British Proof) to deliver maximum flavor impact. They succeeded.
Notably balanced and elegant, the colorful palette of whiskies combines for tremendous depth of flavor. Soft, sweet butterscotch and orange peel meet poached pears and stone fruits. Earthiness appears as dried autumn leaves, coffee, old oak, and tobacco. Among the tangle of spices, tasters identified chili pepper, allspice, cloves, and universally adored its ginger note. Finally, wisps of smoke and sea salt. Overall, it feels generously malty, with the grain whisky lending broad sweetness and supple mouthfeel across the long finish.
Beyond its delightful flavors, Nikka From the Barrel presents some paradoxes worthy of contemplation over a glass. It is a classic, yet new to the U.S. It is typically Japanese, yet singularly magnificent. It is delightful sipped neat and also blossoms with water. Even the simple, squat bottle is in contrast to the profound complexity within. (Fortunately, the 500 ml bottle offered in other markets received a supersizing for U.S. drinkers.)
The great majority of new Japanese whiskies now arriving to our shores are so rare and so expensive that they seem intended only for elite whisky lovers. Nikka From the Barrel is a consummate Japanese blend for anyone to enjoy. —Jeffery Lindenmuth
Ultimate Spirits Challenge
Very malt driven,with some sweetness that seems like it could come from corn, this full-bodied and well-balanced whisky shows both power and elegance. Cigar box, potpourri, Medjool dates, and a wisp of campfire embers linger on the palate long after it is gone.
