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Nikka Blended Whisky

Average score from 3 reviews and 4 ratings 76

Nikka Blended Whisky

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@markjedi1
Nikka Blended Whisky

This lesser known blend by Nikka is meant for the Japanese market. The label says ‘Malt Base Whisky’. What does that mean? That it contains malt whisky and thus is a blend, I suppose, as this Nikka is simply called ‘The Blend’. A little confusing as there is also another bottling called ‘The Blend of Nikka’, which has another recipe. Anyway, let’s get to it. Well, the nose offers a big dollop of sweet malt, but also some candlewax and olive oil. I would not call this fruity, although it does has a hint of banana, but little else. Having said that, this is quite a pleasant nose, although a bit austere and direct, if you know what I mean. On the palate, I’m not convinced, to be honest. It is fairly dry, spicy and shows a lot of wood. It tastes a little metallic. But the mix clearly contained some peaty whisky as well, for the smokiness becomes quite big and even has a salty edge. Ginger is the spice on duty. The finish is short, but very peaty. Unfortunately I cannot get rid of the metallic taste. This has nothing to do with the soft and sweet blends that I have tried from Nikka before. This is, however, quite close to the Nikka Pure Malt Black.

@markjedi1

Nikka has quite a few blends on the market, one more easily obtainable than the other. But this one is easily found and quite affordable. Around 30 to 40 EUR in my neck of the woods. It's a blend that contains both Yoichi and Miyagikyo single malt, as well as grain whisky also produced by Nikka. Remember: Japanese blends are always created in-house, as they do not swaps casks between different producers. The nose is very sweet and fruity. Think apples, pears, apricots and some citrus fruit, but even some coconut and vanilla. You can smell the malt. A hint of slightly burnt caramel and something floral complete the picture. This is actually quite nice. I get the apricots on the palate as well, but - contrary to the nose - I also notice a slight development of smoke, albeit very discreet. Yes, some peated malt was undoubtedly used here. Mandarin. Becomes slightly dry towards the end. Something that reminds me of chocolate. Medium long finish, but rather dry, despite the fact that it remains sweet. Believe it or not, I actually prefer this one to the Nikka All Malt. Lovely Japanese aperitif.

@Rantavahti

The Nikka selection is a bit confusing with products named almost alike. For example Nikka has "The Blend" and "Blended Whisky" which are two different products. When I ordered this whiskey from the web, I honestly didn't know which one I was getting. So to be clear, here's the bottle of the one I'm reviewing, Nikka Blended Whisky: pinterest.com/pin/317363104961238927/

Nikka Blended Whisky was an average whiskey and for its price range, worth of every euro. It is nothing special but for example, a lot better than Nikka Black Special.

That's why I decided to call it Mr. Average (named after the movie by Pierre-Paul Renders). Though I'm sure the movie sucks, this whiskey didn't.

Nose: Fresh and fruity. Grape juice with vanilla and coconut. I'm glad I didn't get much of the marzipan (that some people have had) either in nose or taste because I hate it.

Taste: Sweet pears and almonds with a touch of citrus. Malted barley arise from the background.

Finish: Barley and fruits mix together in rather smooth but quick finish. I was surprised about the smoothness because I thought this isn't supposed to be that kind of blend. Then again, in my book, Japanese whiskeys have proven to be nice at the finish.

Balance: There's a rather nice balance between fruits and malted barley. Overall this is very average in every way, but a good average.

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