Nikka produces three pure or vatted malts (officially “blended malts” now) with colour titles. Nikka Pure Malt Black mainly contains whiskies from the Yoichi distillery, Nikka Pure Malt Red is composed around Miyagikyou malt and Nikka Pure Malt White, some of which made with imported malted barley from Islay (others claim it actually contains peated Scotch).
Nikka Pure Malt Black
(43%, OB 2009, 50cl)
Nose: a nice marriage of sweet, fruity notes (peach marmalade, oranges) and dry, earthy notes (peat, faint smoke, oak). Noticeable vanilla. Hints of flowery honey.
Mouth: more peat now, even phenolic hints of gouache. Slightly peppery. Ripe fruits and a bit of toffee. Salty hints of liquorice in the very end.
Finish: spices, sweet cocoa and smoke.
A good all-rounder with a firm character and balanced peat (I’ve compared Yoichi to Highland Park before…). Around € 30. Good value for money, even with the smaller bottles (50cl).
Score: 82/100