5 minute read
Nikka
NIKKA WHISKY
- SENDAI & HOKKAIDO, JAPAN -
Advertisement
VODKA AND GIN HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THIS ICONIC BRAND OF JAPANESE SINGLE MALT, PURE MALT AND GRAIN WHISKIES
LEARNING THE ART OF WHISKY | The founder of Nikka and the father of Japanese whisky, Masataka Taketsuru came from a long line of sake brewers dating back to 1733. Destined to continue the legacy of making spirits, he trained as a chemist and was quickly recruited by the liquor company Settsu Shuzo.
With a plan to make Japanese whisky, Settsu Shuzo sent Taketsuru to Scotland in 1918. He enrolled at the University of Glasgow, and became the first Japanese person to study the art of making whisky. He took chemistry courses at the university and apprenticed at distilleries, learning first-hand from craftsmen and training as a blender.
During his apprenticeship, Taketsuru met Jessie Roberta Cowan, a Scotswoman, with whom he fell madly in love. They married a year later. Jessie changed her name to Rita, and moved with Taketsuru back to Japan, to become his eternal muse and support throughout his career. A DISTILLER WITHOUT A DISTILLERY | Armed with Scotland’s distilling knowledge and the love of his life, Taketsuru returned home to discover that the economy had taken a turn for the worse. The project he had undertaken with Settsu Shuzo would never see the light of day, and he was out of a job in less than a year.
Nevertheless, the determined Taketsuru powered on and found work with the company Kotobukiya. He used what he had learned in Scotland to create a Japanese style of whisky, even adopting the Scottish convention of spelling of whiskey without the “e.”
THE FATHER OF JAPANESE WHISKY | After a 10-year contract with Kotobukiya, Taketsuru set out on his own to scout the land for the site of his future distillery. He built Japan’s northernmost distillery, Yoichi, on the island of Hokkaido, and Nikka was born in 1934. In 1936, Taketsuru began distilling his own whisky at Nikka, and released the first bottle in 1940 despite the onset of war. Yoichi never ceased production, and to this day still crafts whisky in the traditional manner with pot stills heated by direct coal fire - a practice that is rare and no longer used in Scotland.
A SECOND EXPRESSION OF NIKKA | Taketsuru’s early successes prompted the development of a second distillery in 1969, this time built on the island of Honshu in the foothills of the Miyagi prefecture, two hours north of Tokyo. This area is known for its water and is famed for hot springs and waterfalls.
The distillery is surrounded by mountains and sandwiched between two freshwater rivers, providing fantastic humidity and air quality conditions for its soft and mild malt.
LEFT | The iconic sign at Nikka Whisky’s Miyagikyo distillery near Sendai in the Miyagi prefecture of Japan
- Whisky Advocate 2019 -
TAKETSURU PURE MALT Taketsuru Pure Malt is a blended malt whisky named after our founder Masataka Taketsuru, the first Japanese who mastered whisky-making in Scotland and brought this expertise back to Japan. This expression, launched in 2020 with a refined blend and label, highlights the complexity and preciseness of blending inherited from Masataka and is a blend of casks from the Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. While remaining a smooth and well-balanced blended malt, the formula has been refined to further showcase an exquisite balance between elegant softness and deep complexity along with rich mouthfeel and smokiness. 43% ABV
GOLD MEDAL | International Spirits Challenge 2020
SINGLE MALT YOICHI A single malt expression of whisky from Nikka’s Yoichi Distillery, which is located on the island of Hokkaido and was founded in 1934. The fire-heated pot stills lend a unique character to this whisky. 45% ABV
GOLD MEDAL | International Spirits Challenge 2020
SINGLE MALT MIYAGIKYO A single malt expression of whisky from Nikka’s Miyagikyo Distillery, which is located near Sendai and was founded in 1969. The whiskies made at Miyagikyo are generally regarded as softer than Yoichi and result in a beautiful single malt. 45% ABV
GOLD MEDAL | International Spirits Challenge 2020 CHAIRMAN’S TROPHY & 95 POINTS | Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2017
NIKKA FROM THE BARREL Nikka From the Barrel is an extremely complex blend of over 100 different batches of malt and grain whisky created to deliver the full range of flavors and richness from whisky “from barrels,” which only Nikka’s highly trained blenders can coax out through meticulous nosing and tasting. The single malt components from the Yoichi distillery provide the bolder, smokier elements with a slight briny maritime influence. The Miyagikyo single malts contribute a softer, fruitier element. The addition of grain whisky brings about a round creamy texture to the blend as well as harmonizing all the characteristic components. To adequately deliver the full range of flavors of the whisky, the blenders chose 51.4% for the desired ABV as the higher proof spirits can merge more flavoring compounds effectively. Nikka From The Barrel contains so many characteristic flavor components, that it is essential to let the liquid “marriage” in used casks for 3-6 months to integrate and harmonize. The “re-casking” of the whisky adds yet one additional dimension of complexity to the blend. The concept of the unique short squared bottle is “a small block of whisky”, which perfectly visualizes the rich and strong taste of the whisky inside. Being one of Nikka distillery’s most iconic expressions, Nikka From The Barrel is highly prized by bartenders and discerning whisky connoisseurs around the world. CATEGORY WINNER - JAPANESE BLENDED WHISKY (NO AGE STATEMENT) | World Whiskies Awards 2020 GOLD MEDAL | International Spirits Challenge 2020 #1 WHISKY OF THE YEAR | Whisky Advocate 2018
TOP | The copper pot stills at Nikka Whisky’s Miyagikyo distillery
