Nikka Tsuru Distiller Exclusive

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, apples, and salt. Taste: Caramel, raisins, salt, stone fruits, chocolates, and cocoa nibs. Finish: Caramel, raisins, chocolate, salt, and stone fruits, apples. Score: 87/100. Final thoughts: Take this tasting with a grain of salt as it was my third pour at the tasting bar. This seemed like a well-balanced blend, with dominant caramel and light orchard fruit flavors. It's one of those that didn't stand out in any particular way, but was very pleasant and had no off-putting flavors or notes. Very easy to drink and well-balanced. Would I drink it if offered? Yes. Would I specifically order it? Yes. Would I buy a bottle? Yes.

January 2021. Clear gold color. The aroma is intensely nutty, creamy, amber, aged leather, old wood furniture, sweet spice, dried sweetened prune, longan honey, and tropical fruit. The taste is warm and smooth, reminiscent of old wooden floors, nutty, creamy, woody flavors like an old treehouse in the woods. Well-balanced with a long finish.

I don't have the expertise to identify specific flavors, but to me, it tasted grassy and young. It was a bit disappointing, especially for a distillery-exclusive bottling. Tasted at the Yoichi Nikka distillery in Hokkaido.

A well-integrated whisky. Aroma: floral, sweet, spicy, and woody. Taste: spicy, then mellowing to a fruity sweetness. Aftertaste/finish: creamy vanilla flavor, woody. I love it.

The aroma is excellent, full-bodied, and complex. Shared during a Whiskey Club meeting with Hamlet and Ghost.