Nikka Gold & Gold

Nikka Gold & Gold was launched in 1968 and for a long time seems to have been one of the figureheads of Nikka blended whiskies. Nowadays it is not so easy to find. These tasting notes were compiled from a 50ml sample that I bought at a mom and pop store in Japan.

The nose is quite malty to begin with. Then there is a plethora of flavours: apricot, vanilla, and even some chocolate – quite rich and reminiscent of Bourbon. Altogether a lovely nose!

The palate is a tad watery at the beginning but then becomes quite peppery with a lot of heat. There is not much flavour, the heat being the most dominant component.

The finish is medium-long, very peppery, and dry, with a whiff of milk chocolate right at the end. With water the pepperiness diminishes but results in a bland finish.

This is an average blend, to be honest. While I liked the nose, the heat experienced on the palate was rather off-putting. It was kind of interesting to learn that this was a very popular blend in the 1970s and 1980s.

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