When it comes to Japanese whisky, Suntory gets most of the hype. But the second-biggest name in the category, Nikka, also happens to make some truly excellent expressions. One of those is Nikka From the Barrel, which got an upgrade called Extra Marriage last year. And now that whisky has been deconstructed into component blends and released as the new Extra Marriage Gift Set, a $400 trio of whiskies meant to provide a better understanding of what goes into this blend.
Nikka From the Barrel is technically not a Japanese whisky—it’s a world blend, because it combines more than 100 malt and grain whiskies, and some of them were not distilled in Japan. That distinction is still a totally voluntary one to make as it has not yet been legally codified, despite the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association’s guidelines, but major companies like Nikka and Suntory abide by them. Most of the malt and grain whiskies in From the Barrel, which debuted in 1985 and arrived here in the U.S. in 2018, are produced at Nikka’s two main distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagikyo. For the original version, the final blend is put into used puncheon casks for three months to marry, a time when the whiskies mingle to harmonize flavors, before being bottled at cask strength of 51.4 percent ABV. For Extra Marriage, that marrying time was increased by another three months in Nikka’s Tochigi Aging Cellar to deepen the flavor.
The new Extra Marriage Gift Set does not, of course, break down the components completely—an impossible task, considering how many whiskies are in the blend. Instead, it includes a bottle of Extra Marriage along with two other bottles: Malt Pieces of the Barrel and Grain Pieces of the Barrel, both bottled at a higher 58 percent ABV. According to the brand, these are the two main components that go into From the Barrel that are married together for six months, so you get to try the malt and grain blends separated out in this set. “To understand Nikka From The Barrel and what makes it a timeless whisky, it’s important to understand the individual parts and how they evolve as a result of the marrying process,” said Emiko Kaji, Nikka whisky education and global PR leader, in a statement. “With the Extra Marriage Gift Set, we reveal the Malt Pieces and Grain Pieces individually and thereby how they marry into more than the sum of the parts—just like any good marriage!”
We did not get to sample the component blends, but the official tasting notes are as follows: Nikka Malt Pieces of the Barrel has ripe fruit, peat, vanilla, and chocolate on the palate; Nikka Grain Pieces of the Barrel has notes of mellow, chocolate, ripe fruit and orange peel. Just 800 set are available (SRP $400) in select markets around the country.
Authors
Jonah Flicker
Flicker is currently Robb Report’s whiskey critic, writing a weekly review of the most newsworthy releases around. He is a freelance writer covering the spirits industry whose work has appeared in…
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