Nikka Taketsuru 21 Year Old Pure Malt Blended Japanese Whisky 700mL

Proclaimed as the World’s Best Blended Malt Whisky in the World Whiskies Awards in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011, Taketsuru Pure Malt 21 Years Old combines single malt whiskies from Nikka’s two distilleries Yoichi and Miyagikyo.

Showcasing the elegant, sherry fruitiness of Miyagikyo malts with the stronger, smoky character of Yoichi malts, Taketsuru 21’s malt whiskies are a minimum of 21 years old, but many that are older still, making for a richer dram than its younger 17 and 12 year old bottlings.

Masataka Taketsuru's passion took him to Scotland to learn the art of distilling. Returning to Japan, the father of Japanese whisky founded Japan's first malt distillery and carefully created a whisky with the very finest fragrance, body and taste.

Tasting Notes:

Colour: Deep amber.

Nose: Maple syrup, ripe fruit, aged oak cask, prunes, cocoa.

Palate: Deep, rich, chocolate, coffee, spices, mixed peels, hint of smoke.

Finish: Long, oaky, balanced spice, sharp.

"There are some incense qualities to the nose along with a nutty, sweet sherry'd aroma. A tinge of seaweed and moderate peat smoke tag along with bitter chocolate and coffee. The sweetness is displayed byway of dried fruits and sweet baking spices such as ginger and star anise. While richer than the 12 and 17 year old bottlings, the finish is quite dry." - Stephanie Moreno, Distiller