22 Jun Whisky Wednesday: Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt 21 year old

This week’s Whisky Wednesday features an older (wiser?) pure malt whisky to one from a few posts back, named after its founder and a founding father of the Japanese whisky: Nikka Whisky’s award-winning Taketsuru Pure Malt 21 Year Old.

Whisky: Taketsuru Pure Malt 21 Years Old
Distiller: Nikka Whisky
Country: Japan
Type: Vatted malt whisky
ABV: 43%

Colour (what does it look like?):
Deep amber

Nose (what does it smell like?):
Maple syrup, ripe fruit, aged oak cask, prunes, cocoa

Palate (what does it taste and feel like?):
Deep, rich, chocolate, coffee, spices, mixed peels, hint of smoke

Finish (how does the flavour finish on the palate?):
Long, oaky, balanced spice, sharp

Background

Proclaimed as the World’s Best Blended Malt Whisky in the World Whiskies Awards in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011, Taketsuru Pure Malt 21 Years Old combines single malt whiskies from Nikka’s two distilleries (reminder: pure malt whisky is also known as vatted malt or blended malt whisky, and comprises a blend of single malts from more than one distillery).

Showcasing the elegant, sherry fruitiness of Miyagikyo malts with the stronger, smoky character of Yoichi malts, Taketsuru 21’s malt whiskies are a minimum of 21 years old, but many that are older still, making for a richer dram than its younger 17 and 12 year old bottlings.

These pure malt whiskies have the honour of being named after Nikka Whisky’s founder, Masataka Taketsuru. How’s about a quick history lesson?

In the 1930s, just before the Second World War, Taketsuru founded the Dai Nippon Kaju company, meaning the “great Japanese juice company”. Indeed, during the first eight years from when he founded the Yoichi distillery, while whiskies were maturing in oak casks, the company made fruit juice from the local Hokkaido apples. Nikka-branded apple juice is actually still available in Japan today!

It was only in 1952 they adopted the name Nikka Whisky, a combination of NI-ppon and KA-ju.

Best drinking

Neat.

What do you think?

Leave a comment with your thoughts on Nikka’s Taketsuru Pure Malt 21 year old – or come try it at Tokyo Bird tonight! Mention #WhiskyWednesdays to get free bar snacks with your Whisky of the Week (Wednesdays only).