NIKKA From the Barrel Extra Marriage

Nose : rich, deep. Initially revealing notes of beeswax, iris concrete, roasted pineapple and nutmeg, the aromatic palette is gradually enveloped by scents of root (ginger), malt and earth (oily peat). On aeration, it takes on chocolate and honey tones (heather, lime blossom).

Appearance : topaze

Palate : lively, sharp. Medicinal (balsam), smoky and lemony (zest), the palate also echoes the honeyed character of the nose. Becoming more powdery (cocoa), cereal-like (corn, malted barley) and jammy (apple, mirabelle plum), it gradually brings out a drier peat, bursting with mineral salts.

Overall : both energetic and silky. In turn medicinal and tonic, it softens to reveal flavors of barley sugar, bitter almond and candied ginger. Remarkably deep and original, the aftertaste ventures into the heady, opulent world of American rye whiskeys.