Tag: Nikka

The Nikka Whisky Distilling Co. Ltd. is a producer of Japanese whisky and other beverages headquartered in Tokyo. It is owned by Asahi Group Holdings.

The company operates a number of distilleries and other facilities in Japan, including two Japanese whisky distilleries, the Yoichi distillery in Yoichi, Hokkaidō (established in 1934), and the Miyagikyo distillery in Aoba-ku, Sendai. It also owns the Ben Nevis Distillery in Scotland.

Nikka from The Barrel Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 01/21/2022

In Blended whisky

I started my year on a high note. My first tasting was a world whisky – the Paul John Classic Select Cask. And what a high note that was. Creamy and delicious and full of exquisite flavours. The weeks following the Paul John tasting, I tried a blend, a bourbon and a few single malts. I think it is time again for another world whisky.

This week I want to try something else from the East, and I grabbed the Nikka from The Barrel Japanese single malt whisky from my collection. It feels like Japanese whisky currently is their moment in the sun with a high demand for products from there.

First a bit about Nikka: It was the year 1918 when a young man set off from Takehara City for Glasgow to study Chemistry. This man was Masataka Taketsuru. Growing up in a distillery family, he thought that he would continue the family tradition of making sake.

However, soon after arriving in Scotland, he discovered the golden water of life. He found whisky, and it stole his heart. The rest is history.

He studied and apprenticed at distilleries, learning first-hand from craftsmen and received training as a blender. He married Rita and returned to Japan. In 1934 Masataka established Nikka Whisky and built its first distillery in Yoichi. Nikka went from strength to strength.

Today it has a reputation for award-winning whiskies from both the Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries.

I have tried the Nikka Coffee Grain and the Nikka Miyagikyo and loved it. Now it is time for Nikka from the Barrel. This release is a blend of matured whisky including Miyagikyo and Yoichi single malts and a grain whisky that is re-casked (a process known as marriage) for a further 3 to 6 month period.

It is also where the name comes from Nikka from the “re-casked” Barrel. Nikka From the Barrel whisky is bottled at a near cask strength ABV. It is one of the few blended whiskies that are bottled at cask strength.

Also Read: Santis Malt Alpstein whisky

Nikka from the Barrel Whisky Review

COUNTRY: Japan

ABV: 51%

COLOUR: Gold red copper

NOSE: Clean and crisp with hints of candied cherries, sherry sweetness, vanilla, and it smells like I am walking through a Japanese pine forest. Bits of banana, lots of oak and spicy cinnamon. The whisky needs to breathe a bit for the alcohol to disappear.

PALATE: Big and bold with some alcohol bite. Oak, caramel, fruit with hints of vanilla and sweet paprika. Citrus notes that border on pectin with strong alcohol notes. Not as smooth as other expressions and somewhat one dimensional on the tongue.

It needs quite a few drops of water to tame the alcohol. Water brings more sweetness to the forefront and tames the pectin notes a bit.

FINISH: Crisp with notes of fruit and oakiness, hints of pepper and caramel.

RATING: VERY GOOD

I am a bit disappointed. After the other Nikka’s I have tasted, I was expecting something more complex and rewarding. Perhaps I was expecting too much. My measure is always, do I finish my glass? I did finish my glass, but just because I was too lazy to get up and change it to something else.

It is not a bad whisky. I have seen glowing reviews on this dram with people loving it. I found it a bit flat. However, everyone’s taste is different. Perhaps I had a hectic day, and this influenced my experience. I will give this another try again in a few weeks and see what I think then.

The Nikka bottle size is only 500ml. The good news, however, is that Nikka is readily available in South Africa. Whisky Brother & Co and other good stores will certainly have it. Other releases from Nikka include the Nikka Pure Malt Red and Nikka Pure Malt Black whisky.

Also Read: Kamiki Malt whisky

Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky Review

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 10/19/2020

In Grain Whisky

Some time ago, I managed to get my hands on a bottle of the Nikka Coffey Grain whisky on one of the whisky auctions. I tasted the Nikka Miyagikyo during 2014 and loved it. So to add another Japanese whisky to my collection, was for me, a great treat. My bottle was distilled during 1992 and bottled in 2007.

Nikka is a subsidiary of the Asahi brewing company. Nikka was founded in 1934 and now owns two distilleries; Miyagikyo and Yoichi. What makes this specific Japanese whisky so interesting is that it is a grain whisky.

Crafted from a mash bill mainly made up of corn with a bit of malted barley added, it’s produced in continuous distillation using a Coffey still. Nikka operates 2 Coffey stills at their Miyagikyo distillery. The Coffey still were imported from Scotland in 1963.

Related Article: Galloway Single Grain whisky

Grain whisky is cheaper and easier to produce than malt whisky. It is made in continuous column stills rather than pot stills. This allows much of the distillation process to be automated and reduces overheads.

The flavours and aromas of grain whiskies tend to be softer and lighter than those of malts whiskies. Because of this, most grain whisky is blended with malt whisky to produce blended whisky. The Nikka Coffey Grain Japanese whisky got a rating of 94,5% in the Whisky Bible.

Nikka Coffey Grain Japanese Whisky Review

The pinkish label makes this bottle stand out from the more traditional whisky bottles in my collection. This bottle is a 1992 Vintage.

COUNTRY: Japan

ABV: 57%

COLOUR: Quite a light gold colour.

NOSE: Sweet with notes of vanilla and oak mixed with cereals and spice. The Nikka Coffey Grain whisky has a complex and layered nose and has great promise.

PALATE: On the palate, this grain whisky is chewy and spicy. There are notes of Wilson Toffee, cake and coffee mingling with the spice and sweetness. The Coffey Grain is wonderfully smooth after adding a bit of water. There are hints of plump fruit, chocolate layered with caramel, coffee cake and wood.

FINISH: This Nikka finish is wonderful. It lingers for the longest time and ends in notes of spice and wood. The finish is rich and layered and perfect for this cold winters afternoon. It warms you up from the inside.

RATING: EXCELLENT

It is a beautifully smooth, rich and complex grain whisky. Probably the best grain whisky we have tasted this year. Have you tried this Japanese whisky yet? I see that this fantastic Japanese release is still available via Master of Malt.

Other interesting whiskies from Japan that I have tasted include the Nikka from the Barrel, Yamazaki 12 yo, the Suntory Chita whisky as well as the Nikka Miyagikyo.

Also Read: Balblair 2000 Vintage whisky

Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 05/19/2014

In Single Malt whisky

During December, I tasted the Japanese Yamazaki 12 yo whisky. I enjoyed it and rated it as excellent. It prompted me to start looking around for more Japanese whisky. Another big player in the Japanese whisky industry is Nikka – a subsidiary of the Asahi brewing company. So today, I look at the Nikka Miyagikyo single malt Japanese whisky.

Nikka was founded in 1934 and now owns two distilleries; Miyagikyo (built in 1969) and Yoichi (est. 1934). In 1918, Masataka Taketsuru, son of a sake brewing family, was recruited by the Settsu Shuzo Company to produce the first authentic Japanese whisky.

With a background in chemistry, Taketsuru left for Scotland in 1918. He aimed to discover the secrets of whisky production.

In Scotland, he married Jessie Roberta “Rita” Cowan of Middlecroft, despite opposition from their families. Initially, they lived in Campbeltown and Taketsuru worked at Hazelburn distillery.

In 1920 Taketsuru returned to Japan and joined the Kotobukiya Group, a beer industry giant later renamed Suntory. However, in 1934 he founded his own distilling company, Dai Nippon Kaju K.K., in Yoichi on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō.

He believed that this part of Japan was the most similar to Scotland. He later renamed the company Nikka. His growing success with Nikka whisky allowed him to set up a second distillery on the main island of Honshu in 1969.

I found this bottle of Nikka Miyagikyo whisky at WhiskyBrother’s shop in Hydepark.

Related Article: Kamiki whisky

Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt Whisky Review

This particular Nikka Miyagikyo single malt is unusual in several ways. The Nikka Miyagikyo whisky has no age statement, although it is a single malt. The bottle comes without any packaging, and the size is not the typical 700 ml or 750 ml but is presented in a 500 ml bottle.

COUNTRY: Japan

ABV: 43%.

COLOUR: The Nikka Miyagikyo is quite oily and has a pale golden colour.

NOSE: My first impression on nosing is that it was perhaps aged in a sherry cask. Bold red fruit and malt. There are floral notes with hints of butterscotch and vanilla. Add only a few drops of water to open this Nikka Miyagikyo up.

PALATE: Oak, spice and vanilla. It is a medium-bodied whisky. It has a very smooth taste with a wonderful balance between the elements. The Nikka Miyagikyo tastes a lot lighter than expected. There are hints of florals and dried fruit coming through. It is undoubtedly an easy-drinking whisky.

FINISH: Long and lingering with notes of spice and oak at the end. It has a nice build up in the finish.

RATING: EXCELLENT

I have been looking forward to tasting this Nikka Miyagikyo with great anticipation. After the delicious nose, I was expecting a bolder palate. The palate is softer and elegant and makes it very drinkable.

An excellent world whisky to have in any collection, and I certainly had a second glass. Have you tried this Nikka Miyagikyo whisky?

Other interesting whiskies from Japan that I have tasted include the Nikka from the Barrel as well as the Nikka Coffey Grain whisky.

Also Read: Kornog whisky