Rating 95 2024 Top 50  
Style
Age Statement 20 Years
Produced In Japan
ABV 43.1%
Availability Year Round
Price $299.00 
Reviewed By
Review Updated 2024-12-04

Takamine 20 Year Koji-Fermented Whiskey Review

Just 1,471 bottles of this extra special Japanese whisky were procured from four single casks laid down by the Shinozaki Distillery in June 2003 and March 2004. Bottled at 20 years old, the koji-femented 100-percent barley distillate spends the entirety of its maturation in refill American white oak casks. Indeed, those barrels and that period have done much to influence the early nose of this whisky, which leads with vanilla, coconut, and caramel aromas. Sweet orchard and stone fruit notes linger underneath, followed by leather and tobacco, those latter scents speaking more to the spirit’s age than aging vessels. But it’s the palate where this non-chill-filtered, cask-strength 43.1 percent ABV release really hits its stride as a memorable Japanese whisky, landing delicate but at the same time intense, with a finish that lasts an age.

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95
POINTS
Takamine 20 Year Koji-Fermented Whiskey
Just 1,471 bottles of this extra special Japanese whisky were procured from four single casks laid down by the Shinozaki Distillery in June 2003 and March 2004. Bottled at 20 years old, the koji-femented 100-percent barley distillate spends the entirety of its maturation in refill American white oak casks. Indeed, those barrels and that period have done much to influence the early nose of this whisky, which leads with vanilla, coconut, and caramel aromas. Sweet orchard and stone fruit notes linger underneath, followed by leather and tobacco, those latter scents speaking more to the spirit’s age than aging vessels. But it’s the palate where this non-chill-filtered, cask-strength 43.1 percent ABV release really hits its stride as a memorable Japanese whisky, landing delicate but at the same time intense, with a finish that lasts an age.

Reviewed On: 12-03-2024
95
POINTS
Takamine 20 Year Koji-Fermented Whiskey
Just 1,471 bottles of this extra special Japanese whisky were procured from four single casks laid down by the Shinozaki Distillery in June 2003 and March 2004. Bottled at 20 years old, the koji-femented 100-percent barley distillate spends the entirety of its maturation in refill American white oak casks. Indeed, those barrels and that period have done much to influence the early nose of this whisky, which leads with vanilla, coconut, and caramel aromas. Sweet orchard and stone fruit notes linger underneath, followed by leather and tobacco, those latter scents speaking more to the spirit’s age than aging vessels. But it’s the palate where this non-chill-filtered, cask-strength 43.1 percent ABV release really hits its stride as a memorable Japanese whisky, landing delicate but at the same time intense, with a finish that lasts an age.

Reviewed On: 12-03-2024