Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 Year Old is a Japanese blended malt whisky bottled at 43% ABV, made only from malt whiskies with no grain whisky added. It is named for Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka and widely celebrated as the father of Japanese whisky.
Masataka Taketsuru travelled to Scotland in 1918 to study chemistry and whisky making, worked at Scottish distilleries, and brought what he learned home to Japan. He founded Nikka and built its first distillery at Yoichi on the island of Hokkaido, chosen for a climate that reminded him of Scotland, and later added Miyagikyo in the green valleys of northern Honshu.
Taketsuru Pure Malt brings those two distilleries together. In Japan, "pure malt" means a blend of malt whiskies only. Yoichi gives the blend its depth, with a robust, gently peated and coastal character from coal-fired direct distillation, while Miyagikyo adds softness, fruit and elegance. Every whisky in the 17 Year Old has spent at least seventeen years in cask.
The 17 Year Old was discontinued in 2020, when Nikka withdrew its aged Taketsuru expressions because of the global shortage of mature Japanese whisky. That makes the remaining bottles of this age statement increasingly hard to find, and a prized addition to any Japanese whisky collection.
With long maturation, the profile is rich and harmonious: dried fruit and sherried sweetness meet malt, oak and a soft wisp of smoke, finishing long and warm. It is a bottle to open on a special occasion or to give to someone who appreciates the history of Japanese whisky.
Tasting Notes
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Nose: Dried fruit, sherried sweetness, malt and a light touch of peat
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Palate: Rich and rounded, with fruit, toffee, oak and gentle smoke
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Finish: Long and warm
Specifications
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Producer: Nikka Whisky
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Style: Japanese pure malt (blended malt) whisky
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Distilleries: Yoichi and Miyagikyo
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Age: 17 years
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Proof / ABV: 86 proof (43% ABV)
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Status: Discontinued in 2020
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Origin: Japan
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Size: 700ml
How to Enjoy It
Enjoy it neat in a tulip glass, with a few drops of water to open the fruit and malt, or over a single large ice cube.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does pure malt mean?
In Japan it means a blend made only of malt whiskies, with no grain whisky.
Which distilleries are in it?
Nikka's Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries.
Is it still made?
No. The 17 Year Old was discontinued in 2020.
Explore more in our Japanese Whisky collection.
