Nikka Session /43%/ – Nikka Session, the first brand of Nikka whisky in six years, was launched in September 2020. Yuji Onagawa, Nikka’s chief blender, created the whisky with the idea to blend “Scottish and Japanese malts without preconceived ideas.” Its formula includes malts from the Japanese Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries and the Scottish Ben Nevis Distillery (Nikka acquired the latter in 1989). Nikka Session is marketed as ‘world blended malt’ and it is the first offering of Nikka in the ‘world whisky’ category. It is common knowledge that Ben Nevis malt has been part of many Nikka blends for decades. The whisky comes in a beautiful blue bottle adorned with Japanese artwork. The initial batch was limited to 50,000 cases.
Nose: fresh and fruity, malted barley, apples, pears, nectarines, pineapples, honey, vanilla, butterscotch and a touch of mint.
Palate: malty, apples, gooseberries, Mirabelle plums, vanilla, honey, toffee, salted peanuts, dash of white pepper, toasted oak and a wisp of smoke.
Finish: medium long, with notes of malted barley, summer fruits, hints of spice, peat and oak.
