Nikka From The Barrel is one of the most iconic whiskies from Japan, it's a huge fan favorite, it's where many folks first encountered whiskies from Japan, and even as fans progressively go on to enjoy all that the whisky world has to offer, many still hold this expression close to their hearts and often have a couple sitting in their cupboards - so rarely is something so versatile that it could be your first whisky, and still be your everyday whisky.

It also comes in a classy bottle that matches how timeless it is - a distinctive square dumpy bottle with a short neck and screw cap. The design for the bottle itself came from notable Japanese graphic designer Taku Satoh, who is also famous works that includes Issey Miyake's pleats, as well as the logos for several of Japan's museums and galleries. The idea with Nikka's Whisky From The Barrel was to evoke a sense of muscularity that matches the strong flavours of the whisky.

From Satoh's book "Just Enough Design". (Image Source: Taku Satoh)

Aside from its chic design, the expression's success and perennial top pick can also be narrowed down to a combination of it's affordable price point, strong flavours, and accessibility - it's a year round product that can be easily found across most bottle shops retailing whisky. Who doesn't love great design, strong flavours at a good price that's available easily and consistently?

This was the brainchild of Takeshi Taketsuru, who was the nephew of Nikka's founder, Masataka Taketsuru, and would later take over as Master Blender of the Japanese distiller. He had thought that consumers would enjoy the experience of what professional whisky blenders got - full flavoured whisky straight from the barrel, hence the name. This revolutionary product at the time would hit shelves come 1985, the same year Takeshi would become President of Nikka Whisky.

Takeshi Taketsuru, nephew of Nikka's founder Masataka Taketsuru, who would later take over as Master Blender and then President. 

Onto the whisky itself, there's no hiding from it - it isn't wholly Japanese whisky. It's largely understood that the blend of malt and grain (mostly corn) whisky comes from Nikka's two Japanese distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagikyo, as well as Scotland's Ben Nevis Distillery.

And yet categorisation aside, is it really an issue though? Unlike some other Japanese whisky sellers who are genuinely unable to produce their own whiskies, the same can't be said for Nikka which is more than able to do so with their esteemed Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries, the former having been founded by the father of Japanese whiskies himself, Masataka Taketsuru. With Nikka, it is clearly one of addition of diversity rather than the plastering the lack thereof - the Ben Nevis malt whisky is itself well-respected and adds flavours to the Japanese whiskies made by Nikka.

Back to the whisky, it's about 60% grain whisky (predominantly corn), and the rest being malt whisky, of which these whiskies have been matured in a combination of American oak casks, ex-Sherry casks, ex-Bourbon casks (refill, remade and re-charred). The age of its whiskies range between about 8 years for its malt component and about 3 years for its grain component. It is bottled at 51.4% ABV.

It is worth noting that there are batch differences although they are more than likely to be subtle unless they come from batches years apart.

And so, all that's left to do is taste it!

Nikka From The Barrel - Review

Tasting Notes

Color: Amber

Aroma: Immediate notes of thick caramel with a side of spices - cloves and anise. Behind the big sweet and spicy scent, there’s a more gentle note of dried apricots, alittle bit of red apples, black tea, more on brown sugar, butterscotch, and then alittle bit more grainy and oaky, with a light musty quality.

At first it can be alittle punchy, but let yourself get alittle used to it and some swirling allows the punchiness to die down, and then more flavours come out.

Taste: Not as punchy, but still keeping with those big bold notes of caramel and butterscotch, vanilla cream, more woodiness also shows up, with a crack of black pepper. Dried apricots too, ginger candy, alittle bit of earthy herbal roots, some vague bits of nuts, and also those clove spices. Oh and also alittle bit cacao nibs too. Ever so slight a touch of varnished antiquated wood, with this sort of mustiness and somehow reminiscent of temple incense.

It has a good oily and thick body that’s very satisfying.

It’s altogether very cohesive and the flavours are so close to one another it could very easily come across like a singular sweet-spicy-woody profile. It’s the most “whisky” whisky you could think of but add alittle more sweetness and body to it.

Finish: Clean, tingly spiciness - think Szechuan peppercorn (or Ma La), some orange blossoms, Werther’s candy, a touch woody bitterness, more mint, and a more drying sensation. Pretty long finish.

My Thoughts

A classic for good reason - it’s a very “whisky” whisky, which is probably because it’s so tightly packed and cohesive in flavours that it almost come across like one very distinctive note; throw in the punchiness and the oiliness of its texture, and there you have it.

What does stand out though is that while it’s so archetypal of what we think of whisky to be - well, it doesn’t taste like Coca-cola right, so you know what I mean - it has an oriental quality to it. It has a sort of musty, antiquated wood quality, or temple incense that takes you to old asian temples, and wooden heritage structures, - it conveys this sense of something traditionally asian. 

Then there’s also the more asian flavours of herbal roots, the apricots and the oranges, and the clove spices, - you’d have thought you walked into a traditional asian herbal medicine shop with those wooden boxes carrying dried herbs and natural ingredients. 

Altogether, it makes for a very good starter whisky, certainly a very good staple, particularly given that it’s easily available and accessible to find as well. It’s definitely well made, with great, bold flavours, an oily, hefty and satisfying texture, it’s also really aromatic, flavourful and has a nice lasting finish that really makes an impression.

This is probably one of the best all-round, best value, classic, available year round whisky out there.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot