Favorite Whiskey?

I thinking I'm becoming a Nikka collector.

 

The Coffey grain is really good, definitely has a sweeter flavor

 

Good to know! I have yet to try any of them. I just bought the bottle on a whim one day at Costco, because it looked interesting. Then, a few months later, I was at a NorCal Costco and saw the Days bottle. Now, this one!

 

I haven’t had the Days bottle yet but the other two are very good. I liked the Coffey Grain so much that it didn’t make it back with me on a trip

 

I’m an experienced packer of bourbon in my luggage

Good to know that we’re talking about some thick glass though. If they have 375’s that might be what I get.

 

I'm going to start this post by stating unequivocally that Nikka From The Barrel is my favorite Japanese whiskey so that no one gets the wrong idea.

Now that we've established that, it's not Japanese whiskey. Or barrel proof.

It's a blend (japanese, scotch, and grain spirits), proofed down, and does not meet the newly established legal criteria for Japanese whiskey:

https://www.nikka.com/eng/brands/fromthebarrel/

https://www.thewhiskeyshelf.com/nikka-from-the-barrel-review/

Per marketing, it is intended to reproduce the "straight from the barrel" flavor only master distillers and blenders get to taste.

Whatever. It's delicious. But I nerd out on this background info stuff.

 

Much appreciated info! I'm a huge fan of "useless" information, quirky facts, and nerding out.

 

You have come to the right hobby. There is so much re-labeling, misleading marketing and terms, and BS in whiskey it's an absolute rabbit hole.

 

Nikka Days is meant to be used as a mixer - think Highballs, which are very popular in Japan. I use it for that purpose and it's decent. Strangely, I found I like Weller SR in that role better (I don't like WSR on its own).

Nikka turns out good stuff. I've never had one of their whiskies that wasn't very good. Some are overpriced because of the popularity, similar to some bourbons. This applies to Yamazaki 12. Probably my favorite Japanese, but not worth the $130 price. My second favorite at the moment is Miyagikyo. It has a hint of smoke (more so than From The Barrel or the Yama). Taketsuru is also really good, but I don't see this one very often. Lol - I was going to say FTB is also my favorite, but then I realized I could say that about all of them.

The Hakushu is another awesome whiskey, but alas, its so popular it's priced out of being worth it. Of course there are many other Japanese "whiskeys" that are good as well. As @jandrews pointed out, some are not entirely Japanese, and others have nothing Japanese about them other than the name.

I am so glad this standard is being adopted. I don't think anything is wrong with blending product from different countries, as long as they are honest about it.

I remember when Kaiyo came out and it's origins was a mystery. Very suspect in their promotional material and marketing. Here's an article that gets down into all the details (I'm sure jandrews has read this before). Ive had 2 different Kaiyo whiskies before, one being the Mizunara oak, and found them to be tasty. But they are not Japanese whiskies.

https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/world/so-about-that-kaiyo-whisky/

They are still very cagey about it and use indirect, vague language. Sort of like a politician who doesn't answer the question that was asked, but answers the question he wishes was asked. See their FAQ's below.

 

Not an amazing find, but definitely hard to find in my area most of the time:

 

The American Whiskey and Sour Mash are also great!

 

Sure you’re not talking about the sour mash? Typically that’s the one that’s hard to find…small batch should be just about anywhere, and they look very similar…

 

Well I guess I know what I'll start with tonight!

 

5 min late for Michters Monday.
Traded some little Blantons for this guy the other day.

 

Couple pickups
I’ve never had either of the Russell’s. See enough posted on here where it’s worth giving it a go

 

That's a good one!

 

That's a nice Stagg you got there, love the proof.

 

I would trade each of my Blanton’s for a Michter’s single barrel apiece, any day of the week. Great pickup!

Quite a proof range ya got there. I’ve got an unopened Russell’s 10 year that I also need to try. Post up a review when you get into that, would like to hear your reaction to the rye as well.

 

The only Michter's I consistently see on the shelf in my area lately is the Rye.

 

I picked up a Very Old Bartons today. I have never seen it on a shelf before, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was cheap enough that it was worth a shot.