Reply With QuoteSorry, this is the only way I know how to share a google search...
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=guide+to+japanese+whiskey
...but seems to have all the info you might need.
Never tried the stuff myself.
Last edited by Middo; 19th February 2016 at 22:43.
Sorry, this is the only way I know how to share a google search...
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=guide+to+japanese+whiskey
...but seems to have all the info you might need.
Never tried the stuff myself.
Nikka is solid stuff. Keep your eye on Waitrose, it sometimes pops up on sale there as they stock it.
If you end up liking Nikka, make it a priority to try The Yamazaki.
I've got some Nikka From The Barrel. The first time I opened it I was a bit over-enthusiastic with my measures and ended up with a terribly fuzzy head, that stuff is not to be taken lightly.
Where do you buys yours from?Originally Posted by dice
The Yamazaki has been on my hotlist for quite some time. I just had a quick search and Masters of Malt and they have the distillers reserve in stock. There was almost an impulse buy of 2 bottles but I've taken offence at the delivery charge.
yamazaki is nice, as is Hibiki.
I noticed that Waitrose used to sell Yamazaki but I haven't seen it there for a while. Last time I was there they had Hibiki Master Select.
I tried some 12 year old Suntory Hibiki recently and it was really fantastic.
Apparently it picked up the top prize in its category at the World Whisky Awards 2010, if that means anything.
Last edited by CamCG; 20th February 2016 at 01:21.
Not sure how it compares price wise however Sainsburys stock Distillers Reserve, I've just finished a bottle myself. An enjoyable whisky for sure however it wasn't, to my palate, neither special or distinctive enough to warrant trying again unless it was on offer. I prefer the 10yr or 12yr personally, and I've a bottle of the 18yr that's waiting for a special occasion before opening!
Proper toe curler!
Bought some Nikka as part of my father's Christmas gifts. We enjoyed a few together and it is indeed potent - enjoy.
There's a reason it comes in a small bottle!
I got my Nikka from Waitrose, but the Yamazaki I got from a trade sales warehouse while visiting with a friend. Couldn't be more helpful on the latter I'm afraid.
Thanks all, its for the father in law, I am a rum fan myself. Glad to hear my impulse buy was okay, lets hope his whippet doesn't get hold of this stuff as it seems pretty potent by whiskey standards.
It's not even cask strength (being a blend, or rather, it's what we used to call a "vatted" malt, I suppose). But there we are.
Re Yamazaki, you're going to struggle. Since "the award", it's been nigh on impossible to find it. The latest bottling of the Sherry Cask, which appears to be decent enough, is going for c200GBP. It's bonkers.
Stick to the Nikka. And try their other expressions - perhaps the Black (largely Yoichi, it seems). The White contains whisky from Islay, surprisingly.
However, if you can find it, stock up on the Taketsuru. It's almost under the radar, but unlikely to be so for long.
Last edited by Broussard; 22nd February 2016 at 10:48.
Saw this Whisky in the Aldi cabinet.....so thought best try it,and I like it.
£49.99 down to £39.99.
The Wright whisky shop in Skipton have the best selection I've seen,and for others that love whisky will happily let you try many many open bottle tasters from the corner selection,so if your in Skipton give them a try......you WILL enjoy.
From the Barrel is a lovely drop.
I also have a bottle of Nikka Coffey Malt in my current rotation and have promised to always have a bottle going forward. It's bloody beautiful.
Well he needs a treat and loved the from the barrel, not sure weather to get some of the taketsuru, coffee grain or super Nikka revival. Any advice appreciated.
Nikka from the barrel - lovely stuff, indeed I was drinking it last night.
Top tip - pour a standard measure, then sip. Then add 3 drops of water, swirl (watch the whiskey), and the sip again. You will be amazed by the difference. I won't bore you with the science!
The same tip applies to all whiskies of course, esp. cask strength. But with Nikka it's especially noticeable.
I like the Coffey Grain and it gets good reviews, but I've not tried the Super Nikka for years (not since I was in Japan a decade ago). Of the three, I prefer the spicy sherried notes of the Taketsuru Pure Malt.
The latter it is, thanks for the info.
I hope that works out.
Nikka From the Barrel is a really decent blend, and the Coffey Grain is a little corny for some people. I've seen it suggested that it's a Japanese whisky for bourbon drinkers, although I'm not sure I entirely understand why. The Coffey Malt is also good (and gets some even better reviews than the Grain), but for me, the Miyagikyo distillery is a little vegetal (I think it's why the Nikka Red is my least favourite of the Nikka Red / Black / White trio).
The Super Revival is meant to be good - a throwback to the Nikkas of the 1960s (a blend of grain and malt from Yoichi, I believe).
Nobody tried my top tip yet?
It's how I taste all whiskies (and vodkas and gins, for that matter): first at bottling strength, and then with the gradual addition of water. Opens up the oils - often the citrus elements too.
I even enjoy a mizuwari at times.
Yamazaki gets my vote!
^ Definitely
Dancing down at the disco later
I've got a seventien year old Hibiki, gift from my wife. It's still unopened though. Since I enjoy it more with friends I'm taking it with me on this years "all male weekend" :)
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
You'll enjoy that, it's delicious. Nice bottle too!
Good to hear. Beautiful bottle indeed, shame to empty it :)
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
I know and yet I have done so! Japanese whisky bottles can be an art form in themselves. I bought a great one at the airport in Tokyo with full samurai armour and you removed its head to pour. Only bought as a gimmick but it was surprisingly smooth and tasty!
If that was the Nikka Gold and Gold, you may be surprised at current prices...
Having (not yet) tasted my expensive Japanese whisky, would you say they are on par with the best of Scottish? Or is it still more of a "gimmick"?
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
It's pretty much a guarantee that if I guzzle down a bottle of whisky it will zoom up in value! I bought it for about a tenner at the airport I think...
I'd put the Hibiki 17 up against a large number of 17 Year Old single malts (let alone blends) from Scotland.
Last edited by Broussard; 17th January 2018 at 16:24.
Thanks.
I'll open it on our yearly "all male weekend", better enjoying it with friends :).
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
I was out with friends on Saturday and in a bar serving Nikka From The Barrel, I'll be buying a bottle once I've cleared one or two of my current line-up.
I also have a bottle of Yamazaki 18 that was a birthday gift from a few years back. It remains unopened, I need to find a decent enough reason to break the seal!
You are a very lucky chap! Thats like liquid gold nowadays - impossible to buy!
Yamazaki 18 are going through auctions at £330 ish pounds at the moment.
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Yeah I drank my bottle. It was delicious though...
Bizarrely that is what it was made for !!!
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Thanks.
I can't be sure exactly what was paid for it however a quick Google suggests that its value may have tripled in the near 5 years it was gifted to me. I no-longer associate myself with the gifter so it has little of the sentimental value it once did, there hasn't been a suitable occasion to open it and part of me thinks that I'll just hang on for a while longer and just sell. That would be a shame though as it genuinely is a fantastically flavoured whisky.
First World problems, eh?
Four years ago they were around £80.
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I thought it was a touch over £100 back when I received it, like I said though I can't be sure.
If anyone's interested in reading more about Japanese whisky, there were two books released last year on the topic:
- The Way of Whisky: A Journey Around Japanese Whisky by Dave Broom, and
- Whisky Rising: The Definitive Guide to the Finest Whiskies and Distillers of Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
I really enjoyed visiting the Yamazaki distillery in Japan, in fact thinking of returning in the spring.
I'd love to go. And up to Yoichi too. In the meantime, I'll have to make do with my local (East London Distillery) and most oft-visited - Springbank, Hazelburn and Longrow, as well as Mitchell's Glengyle, up in Campbeltown). The rather poetic link between Hazelburn and Japanese whisky is something I only learned *after* I got interested in Campbeltown malts, but it makes for an interesting story.
Latest arrivals from Japan
Intriguing, what's the link?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masataka_Taketsuru
Interestingly I was in a whisky shop recently buying a gift and mentioned Nikka. The guy there said that while Japanese whisky is good and improving, it costs more than the equivalent scotch or Irish. I bought a nice bottle for around half the price of the Nikka, tried some and it is not dissimilar in flavour/quality to my not-very-sophisticated nose/palate.
The only whisky I drink these days is Japanese. I was in Japan in October, and had a great time in whisky bars in Kyoto and Isaka. Nikka from the barrel is great value for what it is. Love Hakushu 12, and would probably take it over Yamazaki. I’ve got Hibiki 17 which came as a gift, but I’m waiting for the opportunity to open it.
Dave
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