Nikka Yoichi Single Cask 25 Year Old (닛카 요이치 싱글 캐스크 25년)

“The nosing could only be described as if petrol was made from fruits. The smell of Petronas Syntium fuel mixed with prunes and cherries left to stew in the cylinders of a V10. Woah. I took a bit to take a few more sniffs. Never smelt anything so deep and almost vitriolic, but not to the point of astringency. Took the first sip, and it was as if someone pulled me into an underwater abyss, except that instead of water, it was just deep, mahogany, sherried whisky. Chinese herbs, soy sauce, intense old oak, boiled dark fruits, and the lick of a Cuban cigar. However, there was also a slight tinge of a sour, umami finish, akin to chicken essence soup, which students in my country would be no stranger to pertaining to that prolific flavour.”

“After 1-2 drops into the dram, the flavour profiles blossomed, and new components were unlocked. The chicken essence vanished, and was instead replaced by a concoction of apricots, bush berries, and stewed kaki (Japanese persimmon). Funny enough, while the sourness remained, a sort of faint sweetness emerged. Not enough to be cloying, but just present enough to be detected. As the dram left my palate, the history of 25 years evaporated without haste, and left behind a residual bedrock of flavours akin to the bottom of a glass of mulled wine. A profound dram.”