Taketsuru 21 Year Old is a pure malt from Nikka, built from Yoichi and Miyagikyo malts aged at least 21 years and bottled at 43%. This bottle has no box and a slightly torn label; the whisky inside is unaffected.
About This Whisky
Nikka describes the 21-year-old as combining the strong character of Yoichi with the elegance of Miyagikyo. It won World's Best Blended Malt at the World Whiskies Awards in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011, and a trophy at the International Spirits Challenge in 2009. Like the other aged Taketsurus, it was discontinued in 2020. The official note gives lilac, apricot, clove and leather on the nose, then pepper and oak turning to peach, caramelised apple and honeysuckle. Nikka suggests pairing it with dark chocolate, fresh figs, cured meat or sheep's milk cheese.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Refined and complex. Lilac, apricot, clove and leather.
- Palate: Powerful and firm. Pepper and oak, evolving to peach, caramelised apple and honeysuckle.
- Finish: Long and oaky, with coastal notes, prune, peach and vanilla.
Serving & Food
Drink it straight in a nosing glass or on the rocks, as Nikka recommends. Pair with dark chocolate, fresh figs, jamón or a Pecorino.
How to Enjoy
An award-winning aged Japanese blended malt for drinking, where a torn label does not matter.
Product Details
Producer: Nikka Whisky
Expression: Taketsuru Pure Malt 21 Years Old
Country: Japan
Category: Blended malt whisky
Malts: Yoichi and Miyagikyo
Age: 21 years
Status: Discontinued 2020
ABV: 43%
Proof: 86
Volume: 700mL
Condition: No box, slightly torn label
About the Distillery
Nikka's reach goes beyond Japan. In 1989 it bought Ben Nevis distillery at the foot of Scotland's highest mountain, near Fort William, and it still owns it today.
The company is now part of the Asahi group and runs seven sites in Japan, from Yoichi in Hokkaido to cellars in Tochigi, where grain whisky is aged and blends are married before bottling.