Taketsuru 35 Years Old

Taketsuru 35 Years Old is among the most venerable expressions in Nikka's blended malt range, combining malt whisky from Yoichi in Hokkaido and Miyagikyo in Miyagi Prefecture across 35 years of oak maturation. This 2002 Netherlands release in a 750ml bottle marks one of the early international editions of the age statement, presented at 43%.

Thirty-five years in Ex-Bourbon oak transforms the typical Taketsuru profile: the fresh fruit and vanilla of younger expressions give way to dried fruit, dark honey, aged malt and a waxy, almost tobacco-leaf complexity. Yoichi's coastal and firmly structured malt character and Miyagikyo's softer orchard fruit quality are both present, though deeply integrated after such an extended maturation.