Nikka Yoichi 10 year old Single Cask 234426

No water:

nose: lots of ABV flying on this one, then some balsamic, wood polish , damp wood,some earthy smell to it.And again, we have smoke... a bit rough

Palate: Ooh, alcohol is overwhelming , biting at the palate. burnt sugar lots of woody spices. Smoke bursts into the picture, little by little. a burst of flavours with a big alcohol bite. leather, dirty peat, soil.

Finish : Smoke, Wood, palate is somehow numb by the ABV. very long. getting cereal sweet.

With water:

Nose: more brine / balsamic and quite some citrus notes now. wood is enhanced.

Palate: Oh, the alcohol bite is gone, we can go dipper now...More fruity I get some chocolate and cocoa beans. malty sweet. much more quaffable now. spicy, but not much chilly as before.

Bottom line:

This is not your daily dram for certain. It’s a monster waiting to be tamed with water. The sheer power on this one, is really something extraordinary. It’s big, masculine,and in your face, so if you like these kind of whiskies, you are urged to give it a try. I usualy like my monsters sans water, but here, i had to tame it a bit with water, otherwise, it would bee too much in terms of ABV% and not very pleasant on the palate.

All in all , a very unique, robust and BIG dram. if you can get your hands on this (visiting japan soon?! – think again!), then do so. (and while at it, buy me a bottle too, ok? )

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