Review by: dustbunna

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Distillery: Various (blend.)

Bottler: Nikka.

Region: World blend, rumored Scottish malt and Japanese grain.

ABV: 51.4%.

Age: NAS. Bottled in 2024.

Cask type: Undisclosed.

Price: $55 USD for 750mL on offer.

Color added. Possibly (presumably?) chill-filtered.

Bottle open across approx. 4 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.

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Nose: spiced oranges, roasted barley, roasted fennel, oak tannins, coffee beans, cedar.

Palate: medium body ~ wisp of woody smoke up front, black pepper, more oranges, water pushes it a touch sweeter and maltier, cut stems, milk chocolate.

Finish: long ~ a bit ethanol forward, on spices and pepper, tannins, some more smoke and spiced oranges poke through.

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Conclusion: Some fascinating notes going on in here, particularly the roasted fennel, barley, and coffee on the nose. It’s been said many times that there’s a high percentage of Ben Nevis in Nikka’s world blend, and while this is a fair bit tamer than many of the Nevises I’ve tried, I could definitely see a link. The roasty qualities don’t seem to translate to the palate, which goes in a much more expected direction showing oranges, black pepper, wood tannins, and a bit of peat smoke. That said, the 51.4% ABV (one of the highest for a widely released blend, as far as I can tell) helps give it body and a longer finish than usual.

For the price I got it, NFTB is a solid and interesting whisky, and a really easy one to sip on. I’ve lately seen it anywhere from $75-$95 on the shelf around here; it just doesn’t reach anywhere near that value for me, I’d look to other blends or blended malts at full price.

Final Score: 82.

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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.