Such a privilege to have joined La Maison du Whisky Singapore for a very special Nikka Whisky masterclass led by Nikka’s very own Senior Blender (and former Chief Blender) Hiromi Ozaki, discovering The Nikka Limited 2025 — a collaborative expression between Hiromi and Nikka’s new Chief Blender Junji Iseki that sought to pick up from where they left off with the Nikka Nine Decades, creating a new limited world blend for the year 2025. This blend has an average age of about 15~16 years-old, though it is composed of some very old liquid dating back to the 70s too, bottled at 48% abv with 8,000 bottles produced.

What excited me most was exploring what you could call the five pivotal whiskies that the blend was built on: an aromatic yeast malt whiskey from Miyagikyo from the 90s; a blend of 86 and 89 malt whiskies from Ben Nevis; a very fruity Yoichi malt whiskey with higher ester levels; a rather complex grain whiskey from the Moji plant; and a Yoichi malt whiskey finished in a Mizunara cask. It was amazing knowing that Nikka had such an array of remarkable whiskies across their inventory, regardless of age given that the latter three whiskies were barely past five-years-old yet delicious in their own right. My favourite was undoubtedly the Miyagikyo aromatic yeast that was the most intriguing, tasting almost entirely like a jar of apricot jam, yet maintaining its freshness and crispness, and that distinct apple-y flavours that I so adore. 

The Nikka Limited 2025 as a whole was also very well put together, its harmony impeccable, as those flavours all came together nicely and round, well integrated and just a light touch of peat. As a little extra, we were treated to a dram of the Nikka Nine Decades, which was truly special too in so many ways, and a fitting tribute to 90 years of whiskies well-made.

Your occasional rum addict!

@weixiang_liu