Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt Whiskey 750ml

Named for Nikka's founder, Masataka Taketsuru traveled to Scotland in 1918 to study whisky production and returned to Japan determined to build an industry of his own, establishing Yoichi as the country's first malt distillery in 1934. This expression honors his legacy, blending single malts from both Yoichi and Nikka's second distillery, Miyagikyo, into what the Japanese traditionally called a pure malt, a term now more commonly known as blended malt whisky.

The whisky combines pot-stilled malts drawn primarily from Miyagikyo, with a smaller portion contributed by Yoichi, and matures for a minimum of three years across a combination of European sherry oak, ex-bourbon, and American oak casks. A 2020 reformulation refined the blend further, aiming to sharpen the balance between soft elegance and richer complexity. The whisky is bottled at 43% ABV without an age statement, drawing on malts of varying maturity to achieve consistency.

Expect a complex, expressive nose of citrus, malt, and a whisper of peat, giving way to a round palate layered with sweet spice, cereal grains, and candied fruit. Sherry cask influence lends notes of raisin and red wine, while the finish turns long and smooth, carrying lingering fruit and oak.