Japanese Blends

that sounds good. i've only had the hibiki17 yr old. it was quite a good whisky. spicy and smoky. Although i enjoyed the yamazaki single malt more.

Have not had so many Japanese blends. I tasted the Nikka All Malt, its well balanced, smooth with some smoke. I have the Hibiki 12 in my cabinet but have not yet opened it.

The Hibikis are very good blends. A little out of my budget though. The Nikka Pure Malt series (Red, White and Black) are a very good introduction to Japanese blends at a reasonable price. If you live in Japan that is!

I have yet to encounter a Japanese dram (be it single malt or blend) that was not to my likes. The sure know what they are doing. The Yoichi 1987 single cask is rather expensive, but very much worth every penny. I thoroughly enjoyed that one.

What about Nikka form the Barrel? Is it a pure malt blend or does it contain also grains? I saw it today in a whisky-shop and am considering buying it, as it's not so expensive besides being more than 50% ABV.

@drinix It’s a pure malt blend. I got a bottle at the weekend but haven’t opened it yet, however its got some mighty reviews..

Thanks for the answer @CaptinTom, let me know what you think about it!

According to the Nikka website it consists of Miyagi and Yoichi malts blended with grain whisky and then re-barreled, hence the 'from the barrel' moniker@CaptinTom

@nikkaman I stand corrected. i just checked the website myself...

It is a great blend. Purists may prefer to drink it without the addition of water but my personal preference is to add a splash or two. A little water really does bring out some great flavours.