A porch with Roman arches, gray stone walls pierced by mullioned windows, dark towers rising towards a cloud-laden sky, all with an alcoholic aroma. An authentic Scottish atmosphere emanates from the Nikka distillery in Yoichi. The small Japanese city is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan, on the Shakotan Peninsula, on the northern island of Hokkaidō. The cool, moist air, abundance of water and rich crops of barley and peat make it an ideal location for whiskey production. “The water and ingredients are good in the region.” appreciates Hisatsugu Saito, the owner of Owl & Rooster, a cocktail bar in the neighboring city of Sapporo, as he serves a From the Barrel (Nikka’s signature blend) of “great richness and aromatic intensity”, presented in a bottle signed by famous graphic designer Taku Satoh.
Ninety years after its birth, everything is going well for Nikka Whiskey Distilling Co., one of the two historic Japanese whiskey houses along with Suntory, which launched a commemorative blend called Nikka Nine Decades for this anniversary. A blend of more than fifty whiskeys, it is the subject of a limited edition of 4,000 decanters, of which 964 copies are reserved for Europe (2,490 euros). The bottle, hand-engraved, is presented in a wooden case with the signature of all the cellar masters since the founder. The group also launched a new brand, Nikka Frontier, based on a heavily peated Yoichi and enhanced with Ben Nevis (Scotch) and house grain whiskies. It is sold, only in the Japanese market, at the price of 2,200 yen, about 13 euros.
Drinks that should flow easily, since the house has been established for about twenty years and, above all, since its 10-year-old Yoichi was crowned Best of the best in 2001 by the prestigious whiskey magazine. Japanese distilleries “offer a wide range of whiskeys that allow for multiple blends and a diversity of flavors, always well balanced,” explains Didier Ghorbanzadeh, spirits expert at La Maison du whiskey.
The archipelago has a hundred distilleries and exports of its whiskeys reached 56,000 million yen (340 million euros) in 2022, fourteen times more than ten years ago. To support this trend, the government has presented since 1Ahem April the use of the name Japanese whiskey has strict rules such as the use of Japanese spring water and barrels that have spent at least three years in the Archipelago. Asahi, Nikka’s parent company since 2001, has announced new investments to increase production. “The rounded flavor of Japanese products attracts and makes people return to whiskey. The interest should last.” believes Didier Ghorbanzadeh.
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