Yoichi Apple Brandy Cask

On 8 January 1920, Nikka’s founder, Masataka Taketsuru, married Jessie Roberta Cowen, better known as Rita, in Glasgow. This year, Nikka would like to share the commemoration of this 100th wedding anniversary with you, with this limited edition. This single malt from the Yoichi distillery finished maturing in casks that had formerly contained brandy. Apples are a powerful symbol of the Nikka story. They are a recurring theme in the relationship between Rita and Masataka. In fact she encouraged him to start his business by selling apple juice and jam while the first whiskies were ageing in the cellars.

TASTING NOTE

Color:Intense gold.

Nose: Rich and deep. At the first nose, a thin film of soot and ash covers apples coming out of the oven. Then, the peat takes over. It oscillates between dry and oily sequences, which gives a lot of contrasts to the aromatic palette.As time goes by, the harshness of the smoke and the scents of burning Havana appear. The Yoichi style, both powerful and concentrated, is therefore fully expressed.

Palate: Fine and complex. Different from the nose, the attack on the palate is very fruity (apple and candied pear).Then, a rather diaphanous peat is deposited on the circumference of the taste palette. In the mid-palate, aromatic plants (lemon balm, chervil), lamb’s lettuce and watercress testify to a magnificently herbaceous evolution. Gradually, nuts and apples highlight the oily and juicy character of the finish.

Finish: Long and balanced. A few citrus zest (grapefruit, lemon) bring liveliness to the start of the finish. Very slender, it also shows liquorice and vanilla. The peat has become drier (twigs, straw).In retro olfaction, dried fruits (almond, hazelnut, date) and toast flavors coexist in a particularly harmonious way. The empty glass is a subtle blend of ripe apple, peat and cut hay.