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Nikka Taketsuru 21 Year old

Seductively sweet and silky

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@Pierre_WReview by @Pierre_W

17th May 2014

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Nikka Taketsuru 21 Year old
  • Nose
    ~
  • Taste
    ~
  • Finish
    ~
  • Balance
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  • Overall
    86

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Taketsuru 21 year-old belongs to Nikka’s core range of blended malt whiskies. The term “Pure Malt” indicates that this does not contain any grain whisky but malt whisky from the Miyagikyo and Yoichi distilleries vatted together. Taketsuru is named in honour of Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka, one of the two major Japanese whisky-producing companies.

The nose is light and fruity. There is banana, orange peel and hints of peach, next to vanilla, honey and fudge. A delightful maltiness underpins the whole.

The palate is medium-bodied and silky. Sweet and fruity flavours are all over the place here: vanilla, honey and coconut, together with pineapple, oranges, and bananas. Spices have crept in along the way, and pepper and mint are now quite prominent.

The finish is quite long and a bit dry. Flavours of ginger and mint now appear, followed by cinnamon and peanuts.

By all means this is a great blended malt whisky. My favourite part is the nose that impeccably combines a variety of fruity flavours. The palate is unexpectedly silky – which I enjoyed – and retains the fruitiness from the nose, however later on gets spicy and eventually quite dry – which I liked less. I think that while Taketsuru 21 year-old undeniably demonstrates Nikka’s craftsmanship, it lacks the complexity and depth of Nikka’s single malt range. Still, this provides for a great drinking experience.

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3 comments

@CanadianNinja
CanadianNinja commented

Great review as usual Pierre_W! I'm curious, how do you find the 21 yo compared to the 17? Personally, I prefer the 21. While the 17 is a great whisky, I've always found that age does a lot for the Taketsuru range. Others disagree though. Any thoughts?

10 years ago 0

@Pierre_W
Pierre_W commented

Good to hear from you, CanadianNinja. Honestly, I spent a lot of time with the 17yo in the past, much more so than with the 21yo, and it never really convinced me. For me, the 21yo is way better balanced and has much more depth, which is why I would be very curious to try the 25yo and 35yo. I was offered a half shot of the 35yo in a bar in Osaka last month, for 6,000 yen, but declined...

10 years ago 0

@CanadianNinja
CanadianNinja commented

6,000 yen for half a shot... Yep, that sounds like Japanese bar prices for whisky! Buying bottles in this country is excellent, very well priced... Drinking whisky at a bar... be prepared to open your wallet wide!!

10 years ago 0