Country: Japan
Distillery: Miyagikyo & Yoichi
Type: Blended
Age: NAS
Cask: Bourbon barrels, Sherry butts & refill hogsheads
ABV: 51.4%
Proof: 102.8
Price: $75

Nose: Cardamom, caramelized sugar, baking spices, and floral aromas.
Palate: Soft starting but then punchy, oily and has a satisfying chewy body. Vanilla, toffee, cinnamon, toffee and stone fruits are coming forward.
Finish: Medium long with oak spices, vanilla, caramel fudge. Satisfying

Nikka From The Barrel has always been in my Top 5 Japanese Whisky List from the first day I tasted it. The first meeting was with its signature 50 cl bottle, which is a pleasure to hold.

Nikka From The Barrel (aka. NFTB) is made with malt and grain whiskies from Miyagikyo and Yoichi. It is often rumored that there is a significant amount of Ben Nevis in the blend too. I am one of the believers of this too since I love Ben Nevis and I feel a lot of notes from the distillery. Even if this is a fairy tale, it became an industry joke about Japanese whisky now.

At this point you might want to check out my article on Japanese whiskies I wrote for The Whiskey Wash.

Nikka From The Barrel came to the USA in 2108 like God was hearing my wishes, since it is really hard to find any good Japanese whisky in this country. However, its faith was not different than any other good Japanese whiskies and Nikka From The Barrel is either sold out at fair priced markets or sold for an arm at your favorite joking secondary market priced liquor stores.

Let's agree on a point, this whisky is not the best Japanese whisky I had, but considering the balance, availability (especially in Europe), and the price point, I had everything I ever wanted. Instead of buying Hibiki Japanese Harmony, I will buy this whisky every single time.

If you see a Nikka From The Barrel bottle don't hesitate to buy, but please and please don't overpay and encourage those overpriced stores!