Personal has had me tied up this week, so I've been delaying the review of the 21yo Taketsure for a bit, so here we go:
Taketsuru 21yo, 43%, Blended Malt, Nikka
Colour is deep amber
Nose:
Clearly older content malt (Good observation as the label says 21yo, Claus). I find some notes of what seems to be even older malt in there, IMO... or maybe its just a result of those hot summers, cold winter maturation conditions they have in Japan. Dried fruits accompany some tropical fruits juice/citrus freshness, banana, exotic wood, floral, heavy malt, honey, resin and hint of leather
Taste:
Caramel, orange, honey, hint of peat, hardwood, pipe tobacco and a little earthy/musty too.
Hint of tea and chocolate and a spicy edge,mainly nutmeg and allspice. Very malty and this really shows on the finish as its just sits there for quite a while.
A very well balanced whisky and quite a step up from the 17yo, IMO
86/100!
Showing posts with label Blended (vatted) malt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blended (vatted) malt. Show all posts
Friday, 13 September 2013
Monday, 9 September 2013
TAKETSURU 17YO BLENDED MALT - NIKKA
Not much more to say about the Taketsuru blended malt fra Nikka, so I'll skip right to the review of the 17yo version, which has a slightly higher alc% of 43% as opposed to the 40% of the 12yo.
Taketsuru 17yo, 43%, Blended Malt, Nikka
Colour is amber
Nose:
Woodshavings, some fruit, vanilla, dark sugar, cigarbox, more sherry influence here than in the 12yo version, but also more oak.
Taste:
Its funny how much more that 3% alcohol shows, especially on the initial arrival here...
The arrival confirms my suspicion on a higher sherry cask content and all in all, the malt is noticeably heavier here than in the 12yo.
It also carries over some oranges and dried fruits as well as some ginger, but as on the nose, the oak is noticeably stronger in this one, finishing it off with a tannic edge.
Good dram if you don't mind a slight oaky edge without it being offensive.
82/100!
Taketsuru 17yo, 43%, Blended Malt, Nikka
Colour is amber
Nose:
Woodshavings, some fruit, vanilla, dark sugar, cigarbox, more sherry influence here than in the 12yo version, but also more oak.
Taste:
Its funny how much more that 3% alcohol shows, especially on the initial arrival here...
The arrival confirms my suspicion on a higher sherry cask content and all in all, the malt is noticeably heavier here than in the 12yo.
It also carries over some oranges and dried fruits as well as some ginger, but as on the nose, the oak is noticeably stronger in this one, finishing it off with a tannic edge.
Good dram if you don't mind a slight oaky edge without it being offensive.
82/100!
Saturday, 7 September 2013
TAKETSURU 12YO BLENDED MALT - NIKKA
The next line of reviews, 7 of them, will feature Japanese whiskies. 4 blended (vatted) malts and 3 single malts from cult distillery Karuizawa... but you'll have to check back regularly for reviews on those...
I'll be doing a small vertical of the Taketsuru blended (vatted) malts - aged 12, 17 and 21.
A 35yo version is also bottled, but I won't be reviewing that.
Masataki Taketsuru was the name of the Japanese gentleman that travelled to Scotland in the early 20th century to study at Glasgow University and learn the secrets of whisky making, first at at Longmorn in Speyside and then (the original) Hazelburn Distillery in Campbeltown.
He then returned home to Japan to start a distillery himself and the first one built was Yoichi on the north island Hokkaido, close to the city of Sapporo.
This series of blended malts were made in his honor...
Taketsuru 12yo, 40%, Blended Malt, Nikka
Colour is amber
Nose:
Some sherry as in dark fruits, overripe apple and vanilla and something herbal (tea?)
Taste:
Sherried edge again, hardwood, malt, natural caramel, peppery and cooked apple. The oak and caramel and finish is is a bit too bitter for me
Hmm... decent sipping whisky, but IMO the finish isn't all that great!
79/100!
I'll be doing a small vertical of the Taketsuru blended (vatted) malts - aged 12, 17 and 21.
A 35yo version is also bottled, but I won't be reviewing that.
Masataki Taketsuru was the name of the Japanese gentleman that travelled to Scotland in the early 20th century to study at Glasgow University and learn the secrets of whisky making, first at at Longmorn in Speyside and then (the original) Hazelburn Distillery in Campbeltown.
He then returned home to Japan to start a distillery himself and the first one built was Yoichi on the north island Hokkaido, close to the city of Sapporo.
This series of blended malts were made in his honor...
Taketsuru 12yo, 40%, Blended Malt, Nikka
Colour is amber
Nose:
Some sherry as in dark fruits, overripe apple and vanilla and something herbal (tea?)
Taste:
Sherried edge again, hardwood, malt, natural caramel, peppery and cooked apple. The oak and caramel and finish is is a bit too bitter for me
Hmm... decent sipping whisky, but IMO the finish isn't all that great!
79/100!
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