Top 7 Afterparty & Late Night Bottles: Nikka Whisky From The Barrel

After bouncing between Kentucky and Scotland for the first five bottles on this list, we have a true citizen of the world here in the penultimate slot of this in-no-order list. Nikka WFTB no longer meets the legal/trade definitions of “Japanese Whisky” since April 1, 2021, due to including distillate from Ben Nevis in the blend of 100 malt and grain whiskies that go into this masterpiece. But it should be said and celebrated that Nikka is openly, wonderfully transparent about this fact (UNLIKE SOME), with the company helpfully labeling all their products on their website in terms of being true Japanese vs. World whisky under the language of the April 2021 regulations. At least publicly, there was essentially no debate in changing Nikka WFTB’s recipe, because 1) why mess with perfection? and 2) the entire concept of this bottle when it debuted in 1986 was to honor the recently passed Masataka Taketsuru’s career that stretched from Campbelltown to Yoichi. This is the legacy bottling of Nikka’s original boss, and it’s an icon among whisky fans across the world: they could distill this on the Moon and it would still be rightfully regarded as Earth’s best blended whisky.

So, while legally it may no longer be Japanese capital-W Whisky, this is *the* zenith of the Japanese whisky blending heritage that to me is the hallmark of Japanese whisky production. So what if it’s got some high quality scotch in it to accent the Yoichi and Miyagikyo whiskies that form the core. Oh no, whatever shall we do with the fact they put good Ben Nevis in our blended whisky?

So, what does your $70-ish American dollars get you? Well, if an entire orchard of fresh berries bathed in sweet cream with just enough smoke to cut the sweetness sounds enticing to you, then you’ll probably be pleased to hear that the finish is even better and meanders for days, hence its place on this list. This is such a warm, complex, welcoming bottle that clocks in at a crowd-friendly but robust 102.8 proof.

Conclusion: If your fireside late night company includes those a bit put off by all these peat monsters and 120+ proof smokeshows, here’s your new go-to trump card. But understand that it gives up *nothing* in flavor or complexity; it’s just it’s own one of a kind animal.

Image courtesy of Jon who also writes on Low Class & High Proof.

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