Nikka Just Dropped a Stellar New Twist on Its Blended Japanese Whisky

The hype around Japanese whisky may have died down a bit, but certain bottles are still really expensive and rare, particularly those from Suntory. The second biggest name in Japanese whisky, Nikka, also has some highly collectible expressions as well as some fantastic non-age statement blends. One of the best in the latter category is From the Barrel, and this whisky just got an upgrade that makes it a bottle worth seeking out.

Nikka From the Barrel Extra Marriage is the name of this new whisky, and it’s a riff on the original which came out in 1985 and arrived here in the U.S. in 2018. To celebrate the whisky’s 40th anniversary, Nikka decided to extend the time that the components in the blend are married together before bottling (hence, the name). From the Barrel is actually a world whisky because it incorporates whiskies that were not distilled in Japan, and therefore does not meet the (still totally voluntary) guidelines that define Japanese whisky. The majority of those components, which number more than 100, are malt and grain whiskies from two of Nikka‘s distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagikyo. But there are also component whiskies distilled in Scotland in the mix, which makes sense given that Nikka owns the Ben Nevis distillery in that country.

The final blend for From the Barrel is put into used puncheon casks for a period of time to “marry,” a term that means the different components are allowed to mingle and become more cohesive. Other distilleries use this production step as well—Dewar’s, for example, does this for its Double Double range. For Extra Marriage, that marrying time was increased by up to three months in Nikka’s Tochigi Aging Cellar, which “further harmonizes the blend for even richer flavor and longer finish.” It’s really impossible to say if this whisky is an improvement on the original or not without trying both expressions together, but this new expression is very good in its own right. It’s bottled at 51.4 percent ABV, like the original, and has notes of chocolate, oak, vanilla custard, dried fruit, spice, and flamed orange peel on the palate.

Nikka From the Barrel Extra Marriage is available now at select retailers and websites like Total Wine (SRP $70) in smaller 500-ml bottles with the same square design as the original From the Barrel, but with a silver label painted on the bottle. You can also find the original whisky available online if you want to do a side-by-side tasting comparison.