It was back in February of this year that I was first introduced to the Japanese whisky, Nikka Coffey Grain and let me tell you, Japanese whiskies still continue to impress me. The Nikka Coffey Grain is by far one of my favorite Japanese whiskies, however most recently I had the 12 year-old Taketsuru Pure Malt and this Japanese whisky doesn’t fall too far behind in taste.

The Taketsuru Pure Malt is a blended whisky that combines Nikka single malts Yoichi and Miyagikyo. It is named after its founder Masataka Taketsuru. As mentioned in my Coffey Grain blog post, Nikka is a big Japanese whisky producer, which first established its distillery in 1934 by Taketsuru. Taketsuru came from a sake producing family and fell in love with whisky. That brought him to attend the University of Glasgow and he eventually left as a master blender along with the young Scotsman Jessie Roberta who became his wife.

Although I keep saying the Coffey Grain is still my favorite, it really isn’t by much. This 12 year-old is balanced and extremely well made.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: sweet/fruity smell, vanilla and plums

Palate: light, creamy, custard, cinnamon and apples

Finish: smooth, extremely light with a nice burn

Considering the price of other 12 year-olds it might be a little expensive. I saw it priced between $69-$80. Yes, it is slightly overpriced, however, I’ve had many 12 year-old whiskies that are subpar, this one, is not one of them. It is a delicious whisky that is young but well worth the price and I do recommend trying.

Cheers!

PS: Look for my bonus post on Halloween!

Note: The contents on my blog are solely my opinion. To me every palate is different! Although I may or may not like a product, I always recommend for people to try it and make up their own minds.