The Nikka 12 year old

The Nikka 12 year old is the most accomplished expression of the art of blending. For the creation of this blend, the House's Chief Blender has used whiskies aged at least 12 years, which brings an astonishing complexity to the final blend. Its aromatic profile, closer to an aged single malt than a blend, is directly influenced by the composition of the blend which emphasizes single malts with a small proportion of grain whiskies such as corn.

The nose is rather fruity (citrus, orange, lemon) at first sight, but it is in fact more complex than it seems with the appearance of spicy notes of cinnamon and nutmeg but also greedy aromas of beeswax, honey, and malted barley. 

On the palate, The Nikka 12 year old reveals itself like a symphony orchestra with the greedy notes of dark chocolate as first violin and malted barley as piano. Numerous fruity aromas of apple, mirabelle plum, greengage and pear play the role of string instruments, while the airy floral notes of lilac and lily of the valley play the role of wind instruments. And to give rhythm to the whole, honeyed notes complete the melody of flavors.

The aromatic symphony ends with a long and smooth finish offering a multitude of notes of coconut milk, red fruits, pineapple and clementine combined with tobacco and licorice aromas in retro olfaction.