Nikka Yoichi Single Malt Whisky, 70 cl, 45 percent ABV

Product Information

Yoichi is produced at Yoichi distillery, located on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island. The distillery belongs to Nikka Whisky Distilling Company that in turn is owned by Asahi Breweries. Nikka was established in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, one of the founders of the Japanese whisky industry. Interestingly, the distillery continues to use coal to direct fire its pot stills, a method that Masataka Taketsuru originally learned in Scotland (and that has now almost disappeared out there). The rather closed nose offers up some yellow fruit (banana, mirabelles and citrus), but also the typical forest scents I have come to associate with Yoichi. Think ferns, decomposing wood and blossoms. Then a good dollop of honey and a little bit of peat. It has some Turkish Delight, which comes a bit as a surprise. I don’t think I have discovered that in a Japanese whisky before.

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In my opinion, Yoichi is Nikka’s rising star. I am excited to see if this small bottle can deliver on the Yoichi name. A big ask for such a small price tag. So I am sitting here in my hotel room in Shinjuku. You are wondering, does it contain those big salty, floral and gentle peat notes that Yoichi has become famous for? Without prejudice to the section Liability below, the Service may be temporarily unavailable during maintenance, updates, etc. We shall make reasonable efforts to inform you of any unavailability due to maintenance or updates. Unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise, your use of and membership to the Service are exclusively governed by Dutch law. We shall first try to settle any dispute over a dram of whisky. Disputes that cannot be settled over multiple drams of whisky shall be solely submitted to the court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise. I opened one of my bottles and had a dram. I suspect like most whiskies what I write now will be amendable after I get further down and more air finds it way into the bottle. Thus, the following nosing/tasting are from the first dram after opening. Each and every Member must be of legal drinking age in its country of residence to be allowed to use the Service. If no such law exists in a Member’s country of residence, the Member has to be over 21 years old to use the Service. We have the right to ask you to provide proof of your age and/or to provide further identification to prevent underage usage and/or for any other legal or legitimate purpose. By using the Service, and by creating an account you represent, warrant and confirm that you are of legal age.

Brands

That bitterness is continued in the rather short finish, making that the least interesting part of this dram. The finish is of medium length and dry. Both smoky and malty elements are there, followed by minty sweetness. The nose is quite light and thin. Flavours of honey, grapefruits and lemons come to the fore, together with a touch of balsamic vinegar. I also got notes of nuts and cereal. Hmm, where is the peat?

Nikka Discovery Miyagikyo Single Malt Aromatic Yeast 2022– Designed to be fruity, specifically evoking peaches, again Nikka succeeds with aplomb. It smells like peaches. It tastes like peaches. There’s a touch of more generalized sweetness — again, akin to bubblegum — but by and large this has a candylike character that tastes just like gummy peach rings pulled straight from the bulk bin. Secondary flavors of vanilla and lemon curd are there, but they’re almost not worth mentioning. If you’re into peaches, well, have I got a whisky for you. 94 proof. A- This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. Very light peat (faint) smoke/leather (similar to Taketsuru 17yo but not at the same level) Fall leaves and late summer/fall flowers Hint of sweetness - vanilla /cooked sugar Ripe fruits - citrus (a touch of sour) As mentioned earlier, Yamazaki Distillery was designed and operated by Nikka founder Masataka Taketsuru. Today, Yamazaki also produces iconic malt whisky, but in Osaka. Whiskybase B.V. (“Whiskybase”, “we” or “us”, company details below) offers a whisky enthusiasts online platform that provides its members access to the most comprehensive, transparent and trusted resource of whisky bottles and allows and stimulates its members to contribute information about whisky bottles to the platform (“Service”).We may, but are not under any obligation, to release new functionalities and tools or other features for the Service every now and then. Any new functionalities, tools and features shall be part of and governed by the Terms from the moment they are launched and/or available. Further, we reserve the right to modify, change, discontinue the Service, add or remove features, update the Service, change its appearance, temporarily and permanently, at any time, in whole or any part thereof. We may sell, license, transfer, assign or in any other way dispose of the Service (including Members) to any third party without any notification to you, e.g. (but without limitation) in connection with any reorganization, restructuring, merger or sale, or other transfer of assets. Nothing in the Terms shall exclude or limit our liability for fraudulent misrepresentation or for death or personal injury resulting from gross negligence or willful misconduct by us. Suntory would eventually launch the Hakushu Distillery in Yamanashi. This facility was designed to produce whiskies with more peat and Scotch-like character. So they’re more similar to Yoichi than Yamazaki. Like Yoichi, Hakushu also utilizes a lot of used Bourbon casks. But overall, Yoichi is more firm, savory, robust, and peaty. Whereas, Hakushu is more crisp, mineral, and apply. Due to a shortage of Japanese whisky, Nikka withdrew all age statement off the market. Hence Yoichi and Miyagikyo are now released as NAS bottlings. This bottle has been around for a while and is the predecessor to today’s bottlings that appear at 45% in 70cl bottles as of the end of 2015.

The Yamazaki 12 is the closest competition to Yoichi NAS from Yamazaki. It’s a much fruitier and softer whisky. And Yoichi is noticeably peaty, whereas Yamazaki is not.A few comments about this NAS SMW: 1. Don't expect this to be identical to any Aged Statements 2. It keeps many of the Yoichi characteristics, but they are all subtle. 3. In other words, there is no one dominant flavor that stands out. 4. Thus, the layering of flavors makes you work at it all and it is a fun adventure. 5. This is a whisky which needs a lot of time. I spent 30 minutes on it and that is because I wanted to get a comment out here as soon as I could. I am guessing time, like most SMWs will allow the exploration to be much greater for the experience.