Prices
- Uptown Liquor · 700ml$79.99In stockLowest priceView at Uptown Liquor
- Paul's Liquor · 700ml
Usually $89.99$83.99In stockView at Paul's Liquor - The Whisky Company · 700ml$89.00In stockView at The Whisky Company
- Kent Street Cellars · 700ml$69.99Sold outView at Kent Street Cellars
- Bottle Stop · 700ml, Each$89.99Sold outView at Bottle Stop
- The Drink Society · 700ml$89.99Sold outView at The Drink Society
Prices and stock come from each retailer's website. Check with the store before you buy.
More from this distillery: All Nikka whiskies and prices
About
What it is
Part of the Black Nikka range, the everyday blended whisky line sold in convenience stores and supermarkets across Japan. Deep Blend sits at 45%, higher than most of the range, and is built around malt matured in new oak barrels.
Where it comes from
Black Nikka uses imported malt whisky alongside domestically produced whisky, which means it does not meet the criteria for Japanese whisky as defined by the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association. Nikka publishes compliance status per product, and the Black Nikka line is on the wrong side of it.
That isn't a scandal. Black Nikka has been a domestic value brand since 1965, built to put decent whisky on the table at an affordable price, decades before anyone drafted a standard. It's just useful to know what you're buying, particularly if you're paying export prices for something that costs very little in a Japanese supermarket.
How it's made
The blend leans on malt aged in new oak barrels, which is where the depth in the name comes from, combined with Coffey grain whisky from Miyagikyo. New oak gives more vanilla and tannin than refill wood would, and at 45% the extra strength carries it. Nikka doesn't publish component ratios.
What to expect
Sweet and full for the price. Vanilla and caramel from the new wood, a bit of dried fruit, and more oak grip through the finish than you'd expect from an everyday blend. It's designed for highballs and it's very good in one.
How it compares
Against the rest of the Black Nikka range, Deep Blend is the richest and the highest strength, with Clear at 37% being the lightest. Against Nikka From The Barrel, also non-compliant but far more concentrated, From The Barrel is the better whisky and costs more. Against Taketsuru Pure Malt, that's the compliant all-malt option in Nikka's range.
