Review #2: Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt

Review Date: 2021-01-22

TL;DR: A solid, middle-of-the-road flavor profile Japanese blended malt whisky. Fruity, mostly apple; floral; light wood and perfumed smoke.

I went for something a bit different on this one: a bit longer with more prose. Hope you enjoy! I've tried to make it easy to skim to the important bits.

Name: Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt

Producer: Nikka

Age: NAS

Type: Japanese Blended Malt Whisky

Strength: 43% ABV / 86 proof

First Impressions and Presentation: (From an earlier date.)

The week before Christmas, you go to the liquor store with a purpose: to buy a special bottle -- (you've already chosen it) -- to open on Christmas Eve. Halfway down the aisle, you triumphantly locate your prize. This is not the story of that bottle.

This is the story of the bottle you might have missed; the bottle that caught your wife's eye on the far end of the aisle in the Japanese whisky section; the bottle that now calls out to you, "I might be something interesting, why not come over here for a quick look...?" Your original bottle-acquisition mission completed, you oblige your curiosity....

It's a Nikka. "Taketsuru Pure Malt." Hmm... No age statement. We might not truly be in interesting territory here -- after all, Nikka's Yoichi and Miyagikyo Single Malts (also NAS bottlings) are also nearby. You've heard of those. Miyagikyo is already on your wishlist. They're all about the same price.

So, you do some research, and you find out that Nikka has announced this bottle is being discontinued, like its age-statement counterparts before it, in favor of a future line of products as-yet-unannounced.

This will be the last in the line of Taketsuru bottlings! Ah, well, now we're getting interesting! Soon, perhaps, you won't be able to get this bottle at retail. "Might as well buy it!" your wife says, "Try it, and decide if it's worth buying a backup while they're still here." Twist your arm!

You take it home. Your wife made a good point, this is worth a try while you can still get it. And opening this now will keep you from being tempted to open your stocking-stuffer bottle too early. You're ready for a relaxing evening. Home in the light of the fire, you take a closer look at the bottle.

The bottle's glass is lightly tinted a smoky grey-tan color. The label is printed with shiny gold kanji and text. The label is dark and features a portrait of a mustachioed Japanese man.

The bottle's seal is covered in plastic, rather than the shrink wrapped foil you'd find on most single malt scotches, but this detail is not terribly important -- it's meant to be discarded, after all! Through that seal you can see the neck has a label reading "NIKKA WHISKY TAKETSURU PURE MALT". The label front is printed with shiny gold kanji (presumably reading "Taketsuru"), a portrait of Masataka Taketsuru and his signature on the right, the Nikka logo above the kanji, "PURE MALT" in shiny gold lettering below the kanji, and the familiar and welcoming trait of Japanese whisky bottlings: near the bottom of the label, a Katakana rendering of "Whisky" (ウイスキー). To the left of the Kanji, there's a blurb of italic text reading:

"This whisky is named in honor of Masataka Taketsuru, who established Nikka Whisky in 1934."

On the back label is additional explanatory text:

"This is a blended malt named in honor of Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japanese whisky. He is the first Japanese who mastered whisky-making in Scotland and brought this expertise back to Japan. Pursuing his own ideal whisky, Masataka established Nikka in 1934. Its gentle malty flavor, fruitiness and extremely well-balanced taste make it a perfect enrty [sic] point into the world of Nikka."

(The typo on the label is a bit of a jarring note on an otherwise lovely label, and a bit disappointing considering that this label was almost certainly created for the US market and printed by the importer, Hotaling & Co. of San Francisco. Oh well, mistakes happen.)

From past research into Japanese whisky, I know that Taketsuru-san originally worked as the first master distiller of Suntory, worked there for a decade despite creative differences, and after departing Suntory, founded the Yoichi distillery (and Nikka) to follow his artistic vision: to create peated malt whisky in the style of scotch.

Besides the label, the bottle is plain and simple, with no frills beyond the tinting. The simplicity is part of the charm of this Japanese whisky. The label's gold kanji and lettering grab your attention from a distance and seem to say "I am not ordinary"; the bottle seems to say, "I caught your eye, but judge me by what is inside."

There's something charming about the juxtaposition of the simple bottle and the relatively ornate label.

You remove the plastic seal, and -- wait... oh no... it's... sigh... oh, Nikka....

You (*grits teeth*) ... twist off the (*cringe*) ... plastic (!) ... screw top....

Well, that's disappointing.

Somewhat dejected, you nevertheless pour a dram into your waiting glencairn -- those never let you down on presentation.

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What's in the glass?

Name: Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt

Producer: Nikka

Age: NAS

Type: Japanese Blended Malt Whisky

Setting: Virtual tasting over Discord, no warm up drink

Served: Sipped Neat in a Glencairn

Color: 0.6 Old Gold

Strength: 43% ABV / 86 proof

Nose: unsurprisingly malty; fruity, mainly green apple; a bit of something floral; after a sip: floral perfumed smoke, a little briny, a hint of barrel wood. A hint of citrus layered on top of the wood. Overripe pear. A sweetness settles in on top of the fruitiness and makes me think briefly of green apple Jolly Ranchers.

I shouldn't be surprised that a product labeled "PURE MALT" (in all caps) really hits you over the head with the maltiness. It's not bad, it's just... pronounced! Beyond that, we're in solidly fruity territory, mainly green apple, but other light floral fruits. There's a distinctly musty floral quality there as well, like incense, or perfumed pipe tobacco smoke. My tasting buddy remarked, "It's like Gandalf blew a smoke ring in my general direction." There's a rested wood quality to it as well, probably directly from the barrel -- it's like old but well-cared-for wood paneling or wooden interior construction, think wooden columns and beams.

The nose reminds me of walking into a wood-paneled scotch lounge filled with people holding whisky (that malty aroma in the air), and a few are puffing on cigars. The light is warm and moderately bright. This whisky's aroma is inviting -- I expect to find friends waiting for me in this imagined scotch lounge.

There's the barest hint of citrus, a bit like someone cleaned the room with orange pledge earlier. Later, I get a fruit note that is a bit grainy, musty, like the skin of an overripe pear, and dry red wine.

There was a moment where I got the distinct aroma of green apple jolly rancher. On a previous tasting it stayed longer. This time, it showed up briefly, and receded into the fresh green apple and general fruitiness.

Palate: Medium mouthfeel (not watery, not thick, not oily). Drinks appropriately smoothly at 43%.

Taste: Malty, apple, a hint of smoke. Salt. Cantaloupe. Tannins.

Leads with maltiness and apple (not as aggressively "green", nor Jolly Rancher). In the back half of the palate there's a hint of smoke. The smoke doesn't necessarily have a perfumed quality in this context on the palate, but it's neither ashy nor woody.

After a few sips, a salty note shows up about one-third of the way through the palate. It's faint but absolutely distinct. This salt note lends to the briny element that showed up on the nose after a few sips. The flavor of it is not really briny in character though; it's rather just a thin thread of salt, which gradually fades away after a few more sips.

Cantaloupe shows up near the end, just a hint, but it is surprising because it didn't show up on the nose at all. It turns tannic just as we're going into the finish.

Finish: Medium length. Warming, drying. Tannic (of wood rather than tea). Aftertaste of cantaloupe, lingering hint of smoke, and a faint maltiness hangs on for a minute or two.

Afternose (as the glass is drying): Overall very gentle. Earthy with gentle wood spice, a hint of light brown sugar. It evolved a bit, but still remains true to the drink.

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Price: Retail in my area, $89.99 plus tax for 750ml @ 86pf = 254.78 g ethanol = $0.44/g = ~$6.11 per standard drink (14g).

Rating: 75/100 - A solid, well-constructed whisky

Solid, no real flaws, well balanced and smooth drinking. It hit exactly what it was going for: it's well balanced, malty, fruity, and really enjoyable to sit with.

It doesn't have a lot of depth, which isn't a flaw so much as "something it isn't". Actually, there's a lot of things this isn't: it's not deep, it's not strong in flavor, it's not complex, and it's not super memorable as a flavor profile. But in terms of what's in the glass, there's no real flaws, and it's even at times pleasantly surprising.

I love just sitting with this, especially the nose, which evolves and opens up in the glass. When I tasted this alone I watched a slow 4k walking tour through Kyoto. When I tasted with a buddy we weren't rushing to be done with it. It's solid and does "Japanese blended malt (emphasis on the malt) with a middle-of-the-road flavor profile" extremely well. It's not that it lacks character entirely. It feels squarely like a Japanese blended malt. But I just wish it was "more" somehow.

This is light and fruity/floral the way Toki is, but much maltier. It lacks the strength of smoke and depth of character that The Nikka 12 had.

I wish I'd had the opportunity to try one of the age-stated counterparts. I think it would have given it a little more character.

The plastic screw top is truly a detractor at this price. I know it's just a thing that Nikka has been doing, but... Japanese whiskey commands a premium price these days and the presentation really should reflect that IMO. The Nikka 12 had a lovely bottle and presentation that was so good that I actually gave it a couple points. Normally the bottle isn't a factor for me in reviews, and I'm pointing this out because these two bottlings are opposite ends of the spectrum on presentation. The screw top is sturdy and seals well for what it is, and it's better than the metal screw top on Nikka From The Barrel. But still.

I wanted to give it a 76 based on the drink itself, but the plastic screw top is pretty tacky for a $90 bottle, so I can't help but dock a point for that. It was amusingly unexpected (per above novella), or I might have docked more.

Value (would I buy again?): 2/5 ⭐⭐ - maybe - not the best value, but worth getting once for the experience; probably won't buy again; I recommend to skip this if you aren't a fan of the Nikka brand or have a bottle with a similar profile.

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I'm new at this! I'd welcome constructive criticism on my rating style and flavor notes.

Rating Scales:

Quality/enjoyability rating out of 100:

96+: Nectar of the Gods (1 in 50) | 90+: All Time Favorite (1 in 20) | 85+: Excellent, tremendously enjoyable | 80+: A cut above | 75+: A solid, well constructed whisky | 70+: Slightly deficient in some way | 60+: Multiple deficiencies | 50+: Poor | 30+: Unenjoyable straight | 10+: Shots only | 9-: Undrinkable

Value out of 5 - would I buy this again at the given price?

0 no | 1 meh | 2 maybe | 3 sure | 4 yes | 5 absolutely