Nikka Yoichi 15 Year Old

I’m always happy to try a new Nikka release. I’m more familiar with the Miyagikyo and Taketsuru ranges, so I was excited to give my first Yoichi a go. The 15 seems like a good place to start.

Nose: Caramel, treacle, sherry, herbal notes, rich oak, red apple skin, cinnamon, dark dried fruits, with a faint smokiness. A very nice dryness.

Palate: Thick body and quite rich. There’s a good sherry influence here, but it’s indistinctive. Caramel, grass, anise, dry red fruits, red apple, apricot, and baking spices.

Finish: Leather, anise, herbal notes, hay, yellow grass, indistinct sherry, faint sultanas, oak, and wisps of smoke.

The wood influence here is interesting. Given the intensity of the oak, one would expect to have a much more drying finish. But where it would otherwise become dry and spicy, instead pops up a juicy sultana note which seems to ‘refresh’ the finish. Overall this one is good, although I don’t think it’s worth the steep price tag. But as always with Nikka, this is rather flawless and extremely drinkable.

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