A solid, affordable Japanese whisky option that is also widely available.
Nikka Coffey Malt Whiskey / 45% ABV / ~¥8,000 ($55 USD)
Tasted neat
Nikka Coffey Malt Whiskey has nothing to do the aromatic steeped beverage coffee, but is named after the type of continuous column stills normally used to produce grain whiskey. This is slightly upproof NAS single-malt barley, but not distilled in the usual copper pot still.
The back label has a nice lithograph of a column-still and reads:
NIKKA COFFEY MALT WHISKY
The originality of this 100% malt expression lies in its unique distillation method. Malted barley is distilled in a “Coffey still”, a traditional continuous still which is normally used to produce grain whisky. Discover this whisky’s extraordinary texture, which Nikka has specially developed for whisky aficionados.
- Color: chestnut (1.2)
- Nose: caramel, peach, leather and grain
- Taste: extremely soft, sweet; caramel with some sherry, vanilla ice cream and brandy
- Finish: pretty similar to a werther’s!
I suspect this is an engineered product, and not naturally coloured. Consistency is important in the picky Japanese markets…
As far as Japanese whiskey goes, this is a reasonably priced, tasty, dessert-style dram. It is not going to blow your mind, but it’s good quality.
Rating: 5/10
