Nikka From the Barrel
I admit that sometimes I judge a whisky by its cover. And by cover, I mean label design and bottle shape. OK, I don’t ultimately let the packaging influence my opinion of the juice inside, but sometimes it does influence my buying decisions… at least a little. I value a good looking bottle of whisky. Why? Because I value a good looking anything. Aesthetics matter to me. If you have a great whisky, why wouldn’t you put it in a great package? Sure, it’s dumb to buy whisky based on the bottle design and I advise against doing so, but it is a nice bonus when a good whisky comes in a nicely designed package (as long as the producer doesn’t jack up the price due to the packaging).
I’m especially a fan a Japanese bottle design. I’ve always liked Japanese design in general. The simplistic elegance, the zen-like nature, whether it’s books, buildings, food, or whisky labels. One Japanese whisky bottle I love in particular, with its beautifully simplistic label and uncommonly squarish bottle shape, is the subject of today’s review—Nikka Whisky From the Barrel.
Nikka From the Barrel (which I’m going to abbreviate as NFTB… do other people abbreviate it that way? I’m guessing yes) has been available in most of the world for a while now, but only just became available in the US in 2018. The reason for the lack of American distribution is due to US regulations for the bottle size of distilled spirits. Before now NFTB has only been bottled in a 500 mL bottle. 500 mL is not an approved spirit size in the US (the legal US sizes are 50 mL, 100 mL, 200 mL, 375 mL, 750 mL, 1 L, and 1.75 L). I’m not sure what took Nikka so long, but they finally decided to make a larger 750 mL NFTB bottle for the US market.
The whisky itself is a blend of malt and grain whiskies from Nikka’s distilleries, including Yoichi and Miyagikyo. Although it’s called “from the barrel,” it is not necessarily a single barrel or cask strength whisky. It is high ABV, especially for a Japanese whisky, but it’s been bottled at a consistent 51.4% ABV for a while now, which leaves me to believe it is watered down a little for the sake of consistency. Apparently the name is a result of how Nikka marries the blend together—rather than dumping it into stainless steel vats to blend (as is common), the whisky is married in oak casks for 3-6 months before being bottled (per Nikka’s website).
By the way, the one downside of the elegant Japanese bottle/label design is that there is not much of any information on the label about the whisky itself. Seriously, no info at all other than the ABV. It would be nice if Nikka gave us a bit of information about what’s in the bottle, at least on the back label.
The price of Japanese whisky has skyrocketed over the last few years. It wasn’t all that long ago that I could find bottles like Hakushu 12, Yamazaki 12, and Hibiki 12 all for around $60. Those days are long gone, as 12 year aged stated Japanese whisky is usually closer to $100 a bottle now, if you can even find it (many age stated expressions have been discontinued). But Nikka From the Barrel is an exception—at around $65 for a high ABV Japanese whisky, NFTB is almost a bargain.
So does the whisky itself match the beauty of the bottle design? Let’s see.
Nikka From the Barrel Review
Type: Blended whisky
Region: Japan
Age: NAS
ABV: 51.4%
Nose
Dark, dense caramel, although not terribly sweet. Oak and leather. Vanilla bean. Brown sugar and baking spices. Wildflower honey. Caramelized pears. Simple, yet seductive.
Palate
Loads of caramel… gooey caramel sauce drizzled over warm apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Dulce de leche. Thick honey. Malty and rich. Tropical fruits. Cherries. Ever so slightly floral, with a touch of peat smoke and what seems to be a bit of sherry influence. Both Yoichi (gentle smokiness) and Miyagikyo (fruity, sherried sweetness) make their presence known.
Big bodied with a full and creamy mouthfeel.
Finish
Medium in length and quite sweet. More caramel sauce and apple pie. Honey. Sweetened black tea. Maraschino cherries.
Overall
The palate is almost bourbon-like in certain ways, especially with the big dollop of caramel sauce. I mean, you’re not going to confuse it for bourbon, but it has some general bourbon characteristics that I don’t often experience in other Japanese whiskies. If you are a bourbon lover looking to explore Japanese whisky, I think this would be a great place to start.
NFTB is bottled at what seems to be just about the perfect ABV. 51.4% really works well here. I don’t find a need to add any water, although a drop or two won’t hurt if you prefer to dial it down a little.
Most Japanese whisky I’ve had tends to be light and gentle, but not this Nikka. It’s got quite a bit of backbone to it. Yep, it’s a rather wonderful blend, with what would seem to be a high percentage of malt whisky. I’m really enjoying this bottle and thrilled that it’s finally available in the US.
SCORE: 7/10 (Good)
Final Thoughts
This really is a bargain—a reminder that blends can be really good. Japanese whisky is mostly overpriced and often underperforming (for the price), but not Nikka From the Barrel. This is a delightful and affordable dram that should appeal to a wide variety of whisky lovers—this is a great bottle to share with friends who have never tried Japanese whisky. And as a bonus, the bottle will look great sitting on your shelf.
Buying Advice: If you’re looking for an affordable Japanese whisky that’s on the sweet side (and with some extra oomph), NFTB is a good buy. I’m enjoying my bottle and will be buying a replacement when it’s gone.
Drink This Not That: Drink this. It’s tough to find better Japanese whisky in this price range.
Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.
For more reviews, check out the Whisky Review Archive.
