The Nikka Taketsuru 21 Year Old is one of hubby's prized possession, and a week ago this bottle was worth nearly £1000.
Hubby has had this bottle for many years, and originally it cost him about £60 when he bought it from Japan. There's a reason why it's so expensive, let me tell you.
https://regalwhisky.com/products/rare-and-collectable-whisky-from-scotland-and-more/collectables/nikka-taketsuru-21-year-old.html
For those who are not familiar with Japanese whisky, Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka Whisky is known as the father of Japanese whisky. In 1918 Masataka went to Scotland to study chemistry and to learn to produce whisky. During his stay there, he mastered the skills from some of the best whisky distilleries and returned to Japan two years later with his newly wed Scottish wife, Rita. Over the years, Masataka was the pioneer in developing the Japanese whiskey industry, and eventually opened his own distillery and produced his first bottle of Nikka Whisky in 1940.
The Taketsuru was named in honour of Masataka. The label at the back talks about his desire to produce the best whisky for the Japanese and his desire to achieve that dream. The pure malt 21 Y.O combines his love of whisky and his wife Rita, hence the image of the couple.
In the past decade or so, Japanese whisky has become very popular. Many of them have picked up international accolades, fueling the demand from around the world, particularly from certain Asian countries. So much so, that the demand quickly outstrip supply, and many of the aged whisky was totally sold out. By 2019, various Japanese distilleries announced they had to discontinue certain products, including those as young as 12 years.
With the Nikka Taketsuru 21 Year Old being much older, its fate was also sealed, and what was left on the market became a rarity. Hence driving the price up.
So what does a £1000 bottle of whisky taste like? And is it worth it? For those who has read my whisky posts before, you'll know I don't drink whisky. I won't even buy a £10 bottle of whisky, let alone a £1000 one!! So I asked the whisky connoisseur at home for his opinion.
Hubby's opinion is that it definitely is a very good whisky, very smooth as one would expect from a 21 year old. He thought it had a hint of plum flavour, but his drinking buddy, ie my brother in law who drank with him, couldn't taste that. As to the current price tag... I'm glad to say hubby hasn't lost his mind, and won't be paying £1000 for a bottle. Phew!
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In his opinion, the true value of his prized possession is sharing a very good bottle of whisky with his drinking buddy after dinner, or a dram by himself at home.
