Nikka Black 8 Years Old (40%, OB, 2014)

• Blended Japanese whisky
• 40% ABV,
• €26.95 from E. Leclerc
• Score: 84/100

What they say:

Featuring the “King of Blenders”, this very recognizable label has been a staple of the Japanese whisky shelves since 1965, and remains one of the most popular brands today. The 8 year bottling offers good depth, without sacrificing the characteristic smoothness of this brand.

Tasting notes

Colour: golden yellow to slightly amber reflections .

Nose: creamy , rich . Very present, malted barley is fully blossomed. It evolves on citrus (orange) , dried fruits (apricot ) and cardamom. Complex, it evolves on lichen and ripe fruit .

Palate: Round , suave . It reveals chocolate and evolves on the coconut and the Liège coffee. Spiced , the mid-palate continues on fine ash and oak. Almond presence .

Finish: firm and soft at the same time . It is heavily spiced (coriander , cloves, pepper). It is also marked by candied citrus (lemon) . Lemongrass gives it momentum and freshness .

What I say:

Selected for our World of Whiskies tasting presented to the Water of Life Society. Purchased in France, sadly the selection of Japanese whisky is always much better in France than here in the UK as Nikka Whisky is imported directly from Japan by La Maison du Whisky (LMDW) in France. This gives the supermarkets a wonderful selection to work with and prices are always much better than those from UK distributors

Colour:

Copper gold (8/20), medium tears with fine trails

Nose:

Floral hyacinth and cherry blossom, sweet toffee and caramel, earthy, cherry fruits, tobacco leaf, orange and ginger marmalade, cigar boxes, gently spiced

Taste:

Light and floral, cherry blossom, honey sweet, cereal grain and barley, biscuit or shortbread, caramel fudge, toffee, hints of orange and citrus zest, saltwater taffy and lavender cookies

Finish:

Short-medium, citrusy oranges, some peaty hints, earthy and gently tannic and drying

Overall:

A very interesting blend, much more complex than we were expecting and very accomplished, a little short on the finish for our liking (but we were being very picky) we liked it so much we wanted it to go on and on. Surprised and delighted several of the society tasters.