DIRECT FROM BRAND OWNER/AUTHORIZED AGENCY
Country : Japan
Region : Hokkaido
Style : Blended Whisky
Ingredients : Malt, Grains
Volume : 500 ml
Alcohol : 51.4%
Nikka Whisky was founded by Masataka Taketsuru in 1934. Taketsuru learned the art of whisky making in Scotland and returned to Japan to establish his own company, Dai Nippon Kaju, in Yoichi, Hokkaido. The company started distilling whisky in 1936 at the Yoichi Distillery, which Taketsuru believed had the ideal climate and water for whisky making. The first whisky, Nikka Whisky, was launched in 1940.
Today, Nikka Whisky is owned by Asahi Group Holdings and produces a wide variety of Japanese whiskies, ranging from the affordable Black Nikka to the premium Nikka Single Cask. The company also produces other beverages such as shochu, wine, and brandy.
Nikka Whisky has two Japanese whisky distilleries: the Yoichi distillery in Yoichi, Hokkaido, and the Miyagikyo distillery in Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Northern Honshū. The company also owns the Ben Nevis Distillery in Scotland, which it acquired in 1989.
Nikka Whisky’s founder, Masataka Taketsuru, is widely regarded as the father of Japanese whisky. He was born into a sake brewing family in Hiroshima in 1894 and graduated from Osaka Technical High School, where he majored in brewing. He embarked for Scotland in 1918 to learn the process of distilling Scotch whisky first hand. He studied organic chemistry under Prof. T. S. Patterson at the University of Glasgow and malt whisky production at the Hazelburn distillery, in Campbeltown near the Mull of Kintyre. He married Jessie Roberta “Rita” Cowan, the daughter of a Glasgow doctor, and returned with her to Japan in 1920. In 1923, he joined Kotobukiya (currently Suntory) and helped to establish a distillery before starting Nikka in 1934.
Nikka Whisky has won several awards over the years, including the World Whiskies Awards’ Best Japanese Blended Whisky award for Nikka From the Barrel in 2007 and 2010. The company’s whiskies are known for their quality and unique flavor profiles, which are influenced by the local climate and water sources.
Tasting Note :
The complex formula is created by blending more than 100 different batches of malt and grain whiskies. After blending, the whisky is filled into used barrels and matured for another few months. This "marriage" process harmonizes all components in the formula, resulting in a mellow taste. Bottling is controlled at 51.4% ABV, almost equivalent to 90 British proof, that Nikka blenders determined through repeated experiments to achieve the ideal taste profile.
The whisky has aromas of vanilla, tangerine, mocha, dried fruits, walnut, rich butterscotch and caramel layered with hints of wood shavings and spices. The texture is creamy, milky, slightly dusty, offering a long, smooth, finishing.