Review by: Raygun

Named after Nikka founder Masatake Taketsuru, this blends malt from Nikka’s two distilleries, Yoichi (built in 1934) and Miyagikyo (built in 1969), the exact proportions unspecified but seems to be more Miyagikyo. Reviewed from a mini. Rested for 10 minutes.

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Distilleries: Miyagikyo and Yoichi 

Bottler: Nikka 

Region/style: Japanese blended malt whisky 

ABV: 43%

Age: NAS 

Cask types: Sherry casks from Yoichi and Miyagikyo and remade(?) casks from Miyagikyo

Color: 1.0 deep copper. Probably colored and chill-filtered.

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Nose: Pretty light. There’s some apple, orange zest, and pound cake. Some faint coal smoke, but this seems to lean Miyagikyo over Yoichi. Turns toward grapefruit with time. Some florals.        

Palate: Light, but nicely flavored anyway. Like the nose, mostly apple and orange zest, and a mild sort of cake similar to those you find in Asian bakeries. Wildflower honey. I’m looking for the peat, but it’s very subtle. Mainly light, fruity, and honeyed. 

Finish: More caramel flavor, but otherwise the apple-orange-honey cake theme continues. A hair more smoky flavor, unless that’s in my head. Mild woody bitterness, like an overbrewed tea.    

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Conclusion: Pleasant and mostly forgettable is how I’d put it. I tried the old black label NAS, but never any of the age-stated expressions. Notes weren’t that similar–the black label seemed more sherried–but I landed at about the same place. It’s fine. At $70-75, which is about the best I’ve seen, the value isn’t there.

Score: 74

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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. (Kavalan Solist Manzanilla)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Green Spot Chateau Leoville Barton)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Amrut Peated CS)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Taketsuru Pure Malt)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Bushmills 10 Malt)
• 0-49: Blech.