Nikka Yoichi Single Malt

Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Yoichi.

Region: Japan.

Age: NAS.

ABV: 45.00%.

Cost: Pour thanks to /u/L_Tyrion.

Color: 1.0, Deep copper.

This particular review was done blind with the only hint being “Japan”.

Nose: There’s a lot of fruits in the form of lemon, pears, and white grapes. There’s a heavy, gas-like note that I get in some worm tub using distilleries (namely Craigellachie) as well.

Palate: Tons and tons of fruits. Kumquat, pineapple, pears and citrus all come out. The citrus is a mix of yuzu and satsuma oranges. A lovely malt note comes through as well. Overall, it has a very heavy worm tub whisky texture.

Finish: Medium in length. There’s the slightest trace of acetone here. Some chocolate dust pops in here and again along with orange peels, bergamont, and kumquats..

Guess: The hint was Japan. The flavors on the palate were pretty reminiscent of Yamazaki 12 but the nose and texture tell me that it is not that at all. I get a ton of heavy notes that I associate with worm tubs but I also get no peat which rules some distilleries out. I’m going to guess a Mars Komagatake release, no clue which one, bottled around 45% ABV.

Reveal: Nikka Yoichi Single Malt.

Conclusion: I don’t think I’ve experienced a whisky where I am completely peat blind to. This Yoichi Single Malt release should be lightly peated but I experienced absolutely none of the peat. What I did get was a rather delicious fruity whisky that had a nice heavy character to it. The nose teases a fruit basket and the palate absolutely delivers on that. The finish is nice wrapping things up with some chocolate and bergamont as well. Really tasty overall!

Final Score: 82.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Published by zSolaris

Unknown's avatar

Home is where the corn is! Or at least that's what I told the wife before moving her from sunny Southern California to the Midwest anyway. She doesn't share my love of scotch, the drink, but has been incredibly supportive of my little wander down the rabbit hole. We do both share a love of Scotch, our dog, though (she named him, I swear!). He's the cutie in the profile pic.

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