Tasting Notes

Producing WhiskyCast has given me the opportunity to taste some really amazing whiskies, and I’m pleased to share my tasting notes with you here. You can search my entire database of tasting notes from this page, and I hope you’ll find it useful.

The Nikka 40

Country: Japan

Region:

Type: Blended Japanese Whisky

Bottler: Nikka

ABV: 43%

Score: 92 Points

The Nikka 40. Image courtesy Nikka Whisky. This whisky was released in 2014 to celebrate Nikka’s 80th anniversary, and has a malt-to-grain ratio of 70% to 30% with the malts coming from Nikka’s Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. The casks used in the blend include a 1945 cask of Koichi (the oldest in Nikka’s inventory) and a 1969 Miyagikyo cask.

The nose is creamy and smooth with touches of soft spices, vanilla, nuts, and hints of mizunara oak and cedar. The taste is rich, smooth, and full of tropical fruits, with mango, passion fruit, and orange peel balanced by a hint of spices. The finish is lingering, soft, and gentle with just a kiss of spices. Outstanding! (October, 2014)