Nikka Taketsuru 17 Year Old

Nose, Taste, Finish and Balance are graded out of 2.5 each:

Nose: This being a blended malt', one shouldn't therefore be surprised to find the 'malt' part of the equation firmly on the nose, and it's here in sweet abundance. There is however plenty of the 'blended' element of the equation as well, as the malt does not at all overpower, rather inflect upon the varying and intriguing notes that are on offer here, including sweet rice, polished silver, and cold and mushy cooked banana and peas. With these kind of eccentric flavours to explore, there's an inclination to stick around for a while before moving on to the palate. 2.0

Taste: Often with whisky one feels on the palate that you're dealing with an impatient child that is pulling on your arm to hurry up and get to the finish. None of that here. There is an aura of calm, the whisky is contained and contemplative, in no rush to go anywhere. Strawberry jam and warm honey blend together sumptuously, never overstepping their mark, allowing for a malted bread-loaf to slowly rise in your mouth. You could meditate to this. 2.5

Finish: A cube of brown sugar is placed on the tongue, and in slow-motion it slowly melts, giving off bitter-sweet fumes of malted fig jam on rye bread, before the sugar is completed melted and then allowed to slowly harden into an oaky glass crisp. Time seems suspended as the finish floats without end. 2.5

Balance: A whisky of seemingly timeless depth and character, there is both the eccentricity that comes with age, as well as the languid calm that accompanies it. This is a whisky for introspection and reflection, and another example of how Japanese whisky is gloriously inimitable. 2.5

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