Nikka Tsuru Blended, White Ceramic Decanter

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Monday offered Ichiro's Mystery Meat, today it's Nikka's Mystery Meat. I'm not sure when the Tsuru blended whisky releases began, and there's conflicting information about when they ended, but they seemed to be a sibling of the Taketsuru blended malts (the Japanese word "taketsuru" means "bamboo crane", while "tsuru" means "crane").

Tsuru's short-lived range included:

• 17-year-old in a glass bottle
• 17-year-old in a white ceramic decanter
• NAS in two different glass bottles
• NAS in a white ceramic decanter

I tried the "17-year-old in a glass bottle" two years ago, finding it to be pretty close to grain whisky, and wishing there'd been more Yoichi malt in the mix. Today I'll review the "NAS in a white ceramic decanter" expression, with Monday's NAS blend serving as its sparring partner (or pace car?).

Ownership: Nikka

Range: Tsuru

Type: Blended Whisky

Region: Japan (and others?)

Distilleries: Miyagikyo, Yoichi, and Nishinomiya (and others?)

Age: ???

Maturation: ???

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The gentle nose leads with a mix of green apple skins, cucumber skins, and rosewater, with quiet notes of ocean and fabric in the background. A brown sugar note appears ~20 minutes in, and pushes toward the front.

A soft citrus note slowly expands across the palate, well balanced between tart and sweet. It's also slightly dusty and floral, with hints of apple cider. There's no vanilla or caramel, though it's also not raw. Not a whole lot going on, but it's very pleasant.

It finishes with tart and sweet apples, burlap, and sprinkle of salt.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I did not apply this whisky to a highball because it was so fragile. It's inoffensive, better blended than Ichiro's Malt & Grain Classical Edition, and its balance exceeds that of the 17yo-glass-bottle Tsuru. But there's also not much There there, whether that's due to oxidation within the decanter or the blend itself. However, I'd be happy to drink this any day.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - ???
Rating - 81