Upon first discovering the world of Japanese whisky, Nikka was actually the first brand I truly started to search for. If memory serves me correct, my first Nikka whisky purchase may have been Nikka from the Barrel. I eventually made my way to the trying the Coffey whiskies at bars and picked up the no age statement (NAS) releases of the Yoichi, Miyagikyo, and Taketsuru Pure Malt (White Label). I eventually learned that age stated Nikka whiskies exist…but only in what seems like another time in the distant past. As it’s widely known that Nikka’s age-stated whiskies were discontinued through what my personal favorite Japanese whisky source – Mac, from Kanpai Planet – coined as the Nikka “agemageddon”, many age-stated Nikka whiskies have seemingly altogether faded from existence. While some of the older age statements don’t make many appearances, you can find some younger aged Nikka whisky gems, such as the Nikka 12 – but I will say, you still need to look around to find them.

Anecdotes aside, let’s talk a bit about the Nikka 12! In doing research about the juice itself, I haven’t been able to find much about its substance; despite the fact that this expression is a blended whisky, containing malt and grain components. No direct confirmation on this notion, but I believe there to be some foreign distillate in the blend, given that the Nikka Tailored – which is a NAS offering that replaced the Nikka 12 – contains foreign distillate and does not meet requirements to be called “Japanese whisky.” I would surmise the same moniker, or lack thereof, applies for the Nikka 12. No confirmation on cask types either, which I do think is a good test to determine how well one understands cask influence and whether or not certain cask usage can be deduced. One other important detail that I can speak to, however, is the design of the bottle – which symbolizes a Japanese kimono. Simply another one of the many examples as to why I love Japanese whisky bottle designs!

Nikka 12 Years Old, 43% ABV (86 Proof) - Review

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose on this whisky is sweet, but not too sweet to the point where it is dense or overly rich; it’s light and crisp. With that sweetness comes some perfume and some fruity candy and butterscotch. Besides appearing in that candy-like state, fruits do also make an appearance in the form of apples, oranges, and some citrus zest. There is also some caramel and hints of pepper, baking spice, and vanilla. This is a vibrant nose!

Palate: The palate on this whisky is quite juicy and succulent. The fruits make a reprisal, this time in the form of a fresh fruit salad; think more oranges, apples, and even pears covered in more of that citrus zest. The caramel also returns, but is more reminiscent of toffee. There is also some slight spice, reminding me of that peppery note from the nose.

Finish: The finish on this whisky – while it does pair nicely with the palate – is one aspect where I can say I was a little disappointed. There’s all this vibrance between the nose and the palate, but it ended there. The finish is on the shorter side of medium, but despite being disappointed with the finish in relation to the rest of the tasting experience, there is some good! It’s rather mellow, with more of those fruit salad notes lingering, and joined with the nose and palate, it actually creates a refreshing dram. Normally I would associate a refreshing beverage as chilled or something on the rocks, but this pleasantly took me by surprise.

Final Thoughts 

This is a solid whisky. While I would certainly love to own another bottle at some point, that is highly unlikely due to the scarcity of Nikka age-stated whiskies. I find myself in a similar predicament with many bottles that I own at the moment, where there is so little left in the bottle but I can’t quite bring myself to finish them. I especially feel that way with the Nikka 12, because I can confidently say it is my favorite Nikka whisky I have tried as of this writing.

My Score: 83*/100

* A disclaimer that my scores are bound to change as I continue to taste and review a given spirit. This score was the result of several tastings.

Rating System:

• 96–100; An absolutely stellar whisky. Easily a contender for best whisky I’ve ever had.
• 90–95; A great whisky. One of the best whiskies I’ve had. Higher end of this spectrum approaches legend status.
• 80–89; This is a solid, strong whisky. Something is missing that prevents it from being great, but this is still a bottle I’d like to have. Anything at or above this point deserves a spot on my home bar. Higher end of this spectrum approaches “great whisky” territory.
• 70–79; This is a good whisky. Anything in this range and above is something I would consider having on my home bar. Something I could easily sip on every day and something I can enjoy simply for what it is. Does not blow me away, but is still enjoyable.
• 60–69; I’ve had better whiskies. I wouldn’t turn this down if someone offered me a dram, but I also wouldn’t go out of my way to grab a dram.
• 50–59; Not all that good. Again, might not turn it down, but would certainly not go out of my way to grab a dram or find. Would not recommend.
• 50 and below; Not worth the time.

Breakdown of Score:

Tasting Experience (Each category out of 10 possible points, then totaled/weighted 50%): 40/50 points 

• Nose (out of 10 possible points) - 9
• Palate (out of 10 possible points) - 8
• Finish (out of 10 possible points) - 7
• Balance, or how well the flavors work together (out of 10 possible points) - 9
• Complexity, or number of notes/distribution amongst them (out of 10 possible points) - 7

Tasting Experience Weighted Score of 40

Bottle Aesthetics (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 20%): 10/10 points

Bottle Aesthetics Weighted Score of 20

The Craft (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 20%): 8/10 points

The Craft Weighted Score of 16

Uniqueness (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 5%): 8/10 points

Uniqueness Weighted Score of 4

Intangibles (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 5%): 6/10 points

Intangibles Weighted Score of 3

Total Score = 83*

Explanation of Scoring Criteria:

There are five total categories that amount to what I value in a whisk(e)y, and each category is weighted accordingly to what I value the most. The breakdown is as follows:

• The Tasting Experience category is weighted 50%. 50 possible points are spread evenly across five sub-categories. These sub-categories are nose; palate; finish; balance; and complexity. The rest of the categories allow a possible of 10 points each, respectively, but have varying weights.
• The Bottle Aesthetics category is weighted 20%. In this section I factor in the visuals of the just the bottle, because bottles aren’t always sold with or presented on bar shelves with their accompanying boxes.
• The Craft category is also weighted 20%. This section takes into account the process of making the whisk(e)y and the type(s) of maturation that was/were used.
• The Uniqueness category is weighted at 5%. This category takes into account anything about the dram that stands out, such as whether it’s the first release of its kind or a rare limited edition – things of that nature.
• The Intangibles category is also weighted at 5%. This category is meant to reflect some miscellaneous categories – such as, but not limited to, the versatility of a whisk(e)y and whether or not it’s easy to find – and encompass the things you can’t always see coming – such as the significance of a whisk(e)y to me personally and anytime a dram evokes a feeling of nostalgia (which truly is a thing, at least for me!).

The weighted scores are then added together to total the final score.

 

Images courtesy of Whisk(e)y & Whatnot.

Whisk(e)y & Whatnot
🇯🇵 whisky lover/scotch adventurer

Read his column on 88 Bamboo here!