A Tale of 2 Taketsuru's

Another review from one of our own members; Tom Alexander.  This time he takes us on a trip to Japan to taste a couple of the older blends from Nikka distillery.


NIKKA TAKETSURU 17 YEAR OLD - 43%
NIKKA TAKETSURU 21 YEAR OLD - 43%

Well, right now I am supposed to be in Park City, Utah - at the Sundance Film Festival. Seeing films. Partying with celebrities. Freezing my ass off. However, my flight was cancelled (at the last minute) and it was impossible to fly out until tomorrow morning, a serious problem both on a personal and professional level. I am seriously pissed. So what to do in the meantime? Well, drink whisky and write about it, of course - what else?!?

Masataka Taketsuru is perhaps the key figure in the history of Japanese whisky, having learned the art of distilling in Scotland, and then bringing that knowledge back to Japan as master distiller for Yamazaki. After he left Yamazaki, he founded Nikka - and this range of blended malts is named after him.

On the bottle, the spirit is referred to as “Pure Malt”, a term that is illegal to use for Scotch distilleries, who must refer to it as “blended malt” - that is, the blending of malts from two or more distilleries (note the term “blend” is not the same as “blended malt”, as blends - Johnnie Walker, Grant’s, etc. - are a combination of malt and grain whiskies, whereas blended malts have no grain whiskies in them at all. Confused yet?) Taketsuru whiskies come from the two distilleries owned by Nikka: Yoichi (a heavier, oilier style) and Miyagikyo (lighter and fruitier). It does not use malts from competitor Suntory (nor vice versa).

Our vertical tasting today compares the 17 Year Old and the 21 Year Old. There is also a very good 12 Year Old, not written about here (but which is available at the LCBO - sadly, the older expressions are not. But you can also get the single malts Yoichi 10 Year Old and Miyagikyo 15 Year Old through the LCBO).

The colour of the 17 Year Old is medium-to-dark amber, with bright yellow highlights. When  you nose it, right off the bat it is very fruity, across a wide range: apricots, plums, dates, blueberries, papaya. Lots of malt. Milk chocolate. Dunnage warehouse with damp floor. Some oak and leather, a little honey and the faintest hint of smoke. With a drop of water, more malt and a little more smoke. Rich, fruity, malty and delicious.

Saltier on the palate than you would expect. Very creamy mouthfeel, and yet you get bitter tea. Very oaky as well, more than you would think from a 17 year old. And lots of malt as well, with tons of honey. Peat is a little more prevalent here, but it is not coming at you in waves of smoke. With water, the heat turns up with some cinnamon and, believe it or not, now the smoke comes! Incredibly complex, layered, ever-evolving in the mouth.

We have a deep oaky finish, pencil shavings, lots of spice and blood orange. This is such a gorgeous whisky - the epitome of malt and wood in all its essence. Not a singular malt style but rather, showcasing the complexities prevalent when the distilled spirit combines with oak. Absolutely wonderful. This won the World’s Best Blended Malt Award at the 2012 World Whiskies Awards.

How does the four more years in wood compare? Well, in the glass, we see dark amber with yellow highlights - only slightly darker than the 17. On the nose we get purely dark fruits right away - dates and raisins, as if pulled right out of a fruitcake. Cocoa. Pure malt underneath the rich oak. Herbal as well with mint and a wee bit of smoke. Again, dunnage warehouse with damp floor. Water tames all those dark fruits and brings out the malt, herbs and smoke.

Saltier than you would expect in the mouth, and with some peat. It then becomes hotter in the mouth and with more herbs like oregano and sage. Wow. Of course, very malty with a honeyed sweetness. A drop of water really spices it up, similar to the 17 year old.

We get more herbal notes on the finish, which is mouth-drying with some brine. Long and deep with lots of oak. This is a huge whisky, very much for after dinner by the fire. Like the 17 year old, this showcases the incredible range of flavours malt whisky can bring, but this one does so under a heavier layer of dark fruits and oak (if you can imagine heavier than the 17 year old). This whisky has won numerous awards, including World’s Best Blended Malt at the World Whiskies Awards three out of four years running.

So how do they compare? Well, to be honest, one seems to have simply aged in oak for another four years (rather than being distilled or aged in a different way). I know the 21 Year Old is finished in first- and second-fill bourbon barrels, and I presume from the taste profile that the 17 Year Old is as well. But these are both absolutely fantastic - rich and fruity, full of oak and malt, sweetness and spice. Do I have a favourite? Well, after spending a good chunk of the afternoon with both of these, I’m giving a slight edge to the 17. In the 21, you have such a richness of oak and dark fruits, it slightly (only slightly) obscures the other qualities that come through from the spirit. In the 17, there is a bit more balance between the spirit and the wood, and hence a further complexity is revealed. But don’t take my word for it - if you ever get the opportunity to enjoy either of these (or the 12 Year Old, which doesn’t quite reach the heights of these two but is very enjoyable), take it. These two are among the best whiskies you will ever have. And now I feel much better about my wasted hours at the airport this morning. Tomorrow is another day.

LCBO Vintages Release for May 2012

Well I return from the dead, apologies for not posting this sooner but it's been a jam packed month.  The pickings are slim for the May releases from the LCBO, but as the Spirit of Toronto show also followed suit, there are many hidden gems on the shelves.  Only 2 bottles publicly noted for the Vintages magazine, one for each release.  Let's take a gander at what was offered.

May 12,2012 Vintages Release:

A single Irish bottle from The Irishman distillery group; the second released by the LCBO (last month their Single Malt was premiered).  The Irishman 70 is a blended Irish whiskey, matured in bourbon barrels and blended at 40% ABV.  This is a difficult one to write about as this is the domain of the world largest whiskey brand (quick hint... think yellow label/green bottle...... yeah green... real original for Ireland).  All that aside, flavor & quality will prevail; and this blend beats the pants off the National Brand.  The nose shows hot pepper and spices, with hints of toasted grains and nuts.  In the mouth is where this shines.  Very, very smooth with notes of dried peaches, more grains (toasted, with hints of rye prevailing), aromatic wood (like cedar or hemlock), and wet slate (not a bad thing, but a very nice mineral contrast to the sweetness).  The finish is smooth and creamy with hints of wood, raisins and pepper.  The balance across the dram as a whole is fantastic, very well built with a great harmony of heat, sweet and finite details (like the fruits and minerals).  Check your local LCBO for Sku #135186, and priced at $41.95, this won't be around too long when word gets out.

May 26,2012 Vintage Release:

The only bottle in the second round is a Kentucky Whisky (not a bourbon... corn doesn't play first chair in this orchestra!).  This isn't just any whisky though, this is Bernheim small batch straight wheat whisky.  Made from 51% soft winter wheat, with the remainder being mostly corn, and aged about 5 years (that's what my sources tell me). Incredible mouth-feel dominates this treasure, and backs up an excellent flavour profile.  Initial nose shows floral notes backed up with toffee, pepper and hints of vanilla and cloves.  There is a lot going on in this glass (a lot of it being subtle and muted), further swirls give off notes of more vanilla (extract this time), hints of floral wildflower honey, wheat crackers, and white pepper.  In the mouth incredible balance of wood, wood smoke, sweet grain wheaty-ness, spice blends (like for spice cake),  and more wildflowers in the background.  With water it almost becomes creamy and smooth, losing the spicy notes and hot pepper tartness and gaining a rounded more floral and sweet palate.  The finish is long, warming and very satisfying.  Subtle hints of wood smoke intersperse with the honey, spice and oak notes.  This is a fantastic bottle, and the LCBO seems to think that you should pay heavily for its delicious contents. At $75/bottle and 45% ABV, I think it's still a great choice for a premium American whisky. Get your bottle at your local LCBO for $75/bottle [Sku #278077].  Served at 45% ABV, this is a hell of a whisky to add to your collection!  This is a very light whisky, and would be excellent on those hot summer days coming to your neighborhood soon.

Well that sums up the Vintages releases, but there are a few others to report on.  The first coming to us, announced in shining letters via eMail from the LCBO.  This came via pre-order only.  Kavalan Soloist Sherry cask.  This interesting dram hails from Taiwan from the King Car distillery.  It deserves commendation as they proudly display the unchillfiltered and no colour added banners on  ALL of their whiskies from the Kavalan range.  But the thing that held me back was the price!  The LCBO wants you to chance your hard earned cash (actually $214/bottle), on an untested and UN-tasteable Taiwanese whisky.  Now that aside, this is a multiple award-winning, Whisky Bible commended, and much heralded Taiwanese whisky.  I'll be the first to say, that I don't do what the books tell me and neither should you.  I gladly tried the Kavalan 'Concertmaster' Single Malt whisky at the Spirit of Toronto show, in hopes that the main attraction coming would blow me over.  Instead what I got really rubbed me the wrong way.  The way the LCBO employees were pimping out this spirit; like it was a Macallan 1955 single cask, made me frustrated.  "Oh sir you would love this, it's a limited production... blah blah blah... (he now proceeds to pour slightly less that than 1/8 of an ounce into my Glencairn) ..... blah blah, made from the tears of orphans struck down by Chuck Norris himself (continues rambling on).... and finished in only the best port pipes from the 14th century hand sealed by King Louis the 573rd himself that money can buy.  Seriously.  This is good whisky at best, but if your trying to use this to sell me a $215 of single cask CS Taiwanese whisky, boy have you got another life lesson coming.  The concertmaster was alright whisky, simple, well balanced, good nose and generally a good International bottling.  But if you're trying to sell me a Maybach by showing me your mom's 1995 Chevy Cavalier with a fresh coat of paint on it, yeah I'm gonna be a little ticked off.  I did enjoy it and found myself asking for a triple pour so I could actually taste something (which after some judging looks and sour faces, I finally got).  I'll level with you though, I found this no more appealing than say a Glenfiddich 15 Solera (if it were at Cask Strength).  It's a great whisky, but  it shouldn't come with strings attached.  That aside, $214 for a Cask Strength single malt is a bit out of reach even for the most eager whisky drinker.  There are many better offerings from better known distilleries that I adore (eg: Isle of Arran Single Cask, Springbank 12 CS to name a couple).  All my petty bitching aside, I am informed that the standard bottling (I think it's the Concertmaster one), will arrive sometime this fall. We'll keep an eye out and review it as it comes up.

Second up is a craft distillation from Rogue brewery.  The Rogue Oregon Single Malt 'whiskey' (not sure why the 'E' in whisky, that is a debate for another day), comes from the illustrious Rogue brewery.  Makers of such odd named brews as Brutal IPA, Dead Guy Ale, Mogul Madness ale and few other comical names, I can assure you these are all serious beers.  This spirit is built from 100% first growth Oregon Malt on their own 257 acre farm.  12% of the final product is hand-smoked, by a 40 year veteran of Rogue Brewery, with local Maple and Alder chips to give it a hint of wood smoke.  40% ABV, no mention of filtration or colour added, the clear bottle reveals rich copper highlights and an interesting haze when cooled.  I'd like to think there's nothing added or removed, but I'm honestly not sure.  The nose on this was fantastic, rich and fruity with notes of wood smoke, caramel, ripe apricots, hints of peaches, and coffee.  In the mouth the fruity notes continue and bring caramel overtones, with notes of toasted oak, roasted grains, malt syrup and hints of red fruits.  The finish is fairly short, but rewards the tongue.  Notes of oak and caramel are peppered with hints of fruit, hot pepper and vanilla mixed throughout.  It's on the expensive side at $89/bottle and a bit thin, being on the low end of the proof scale, but I think this is a very good single malt from the US with great potential.  I also don't believe that this is whiskey either... you do actually have to age it slightly longer than a couple of months (again another debate for another day).  Check your local LBCO for Sku #272302, and grab yourself one before they're gone, and while you're there you might want to grab yourself an Orange Honey Ale or Brutal IPA to go along with it.

Well that's about it for this update.  I've got the working proofs of June's listings too and some more information from the Spirit of Toronto to write up.  Also a couple more tasting note reviews are coming down the pipe and hopefully a special event coming up will net some nice notes.  So for the time being, keep your stick on the ice and the ice out of your glass.