The Nikka Tailored Premium Blended Japanese Whisky – 70cl
The spiritual successor to the beloved Nikka 12 Year Old and the most considered expression of Nikka's blending philosophy in the current range, The Nikka Tailored is a premium blended whisky of genuine distinction — built around an unusually malt-heavy composition that sets it apart from virtually every other blended whisky in the Japanese category. Where most blended whiskies lean heavily on grain whisky as their base, the Tailored inverts this hierarchy: the blend is led by pot still malt whiskies from both Yoichi and Miyagikyo, with Coffey still grain whisky playing a supporting, smoothing role — the two distilleries' contrasting characters working in concert to deliver a whisky of considerable richness, balance, and depth.
The name and bottle design speak directly to this philosophy of precision craft. The distinctive bottle silhouette echoes the overlapping collar of a kimono — a deliberate visual metaphor for the layering of Yoichi's bold, peated coastal character with Miyagikyo's floral, sherry-cask elegance, smoothed and unified by the exceptional creaminess of Coffey grain. Matured predominantly in American oak and ex-sherry casks and bottled at 43% ABV, the Tailored is Nikka's definitive answer to the question of what a premium Japanese blended whisky should be.
TASTING NOTES
NOSE
Smooth and elegantly fruity — apple, apricot, nectarine, and white-fleshed stone fruit with a strong presence of honey, candied orange peel, dark chocolate, and a gentle dusting of cocoa.
PALATE
Sweet and pastry-rich with vanilla, baked custard tarts, and kouglof spice alongside bitter dark chocolate, orange marmalade, and tangerine zest — a beautifully balanced duality of sweetness and bitterness that is distinctly and deliciously Nikka.
FINISH
Warm and lingering with roasted coffee bean, cocoa, dried fruit, fresh apple, vanilla pod, and the nostalgic sweetness of maple syrup — clean, rounded, and satisfying.
ABV: 43% ABV