A little Japanese Blend for us tonight. Nikka From the Barrel, 51% ABV, $63 CAD for 500 mLs here in Ontario. We've got high expectations here, let's get into it.
We sniff her.
Simon goes for a butterscotchy, sherry(ish) kind of fruit. It's got a dustiness to it.
Scott says there's a brightness there. A richness. Nectar. Honey. Fuzzy peach.
Trevor's on board with the honey. Gets a caramel.
Kyle gets a vanilla caramel nose.
We cheers.
Scott starts us off with citrus.
Simon gets that citrus on the finish, it's got a fizziness to it.
Scott agrees, great mouthfeel. Tiny bit oily. Good warmth.
Simon gets the darker fruits. Sherry influence again. Array of ripe berries. There's a caramel/butterscotch in the back. Mild tartness on the finish.
Trevor and Kyle are on board with the caramel. It's got a good heat to it, nice spice. They don't get the full flavors they were hoping for though. Kyle says it goes by too quickly for him.
Scott still gets that fuzzy peach. That kind of candy; sour keys, watermelon candies, etc. Brings him back to the 5c 10c candy stores.
Finish isn't bold, nice citrusy caramel, little tingling.
Reviews: Simon likes this. He might buy it again. Maybe not. Either way, it's got a decent complexity, it's got a good balance, good feel. Nice medium-body. Rates it 79. Scott is a big fan. Would have a hard time not getting a bottle if he ran across it. That fuzzy peach he gets tickles his buds nicely. Lands on an 83. Trevor and Kyle both land on a 75. It's good and balanced but lacking some of the boldness and dynamism they'd like to see in whisky. Averages out to a 78.
Overall: We're a little split on this one. Scott and Simon (especially Scott) were impressed enough to warrant a reinvestment one day, whereas Trevor and Kyle thought it was good but not something they foresee being on their shelves. It's a pretty good value though at a 79 rating on our chart (average value is 75), so for the price it might just be worth finding out which camp you're in. We like that this comes in 500mL bottles.
Cheers!
The S&P Crew
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