This rare version of Miyagikyo single malt is part of the “Nikka Discovery” series: an inside look at the various experiments made during the whisky making process at Nikka. Focusing on the use of yeasts, this expression enhances fruity aromas and flavors of peach and apricot.
PRODUCT RELEASE Japan :
Europe :
4800 bottles
Colour: bright gold.
Nose: Refined, warmth. The very exuberant first nose (lavender, marshmallow) also shows some subtle liquorice and lush malted barley. Allowed to breathe, succulent perfumes of flowering meadow, and fruits (peach, pear, apricot) embrace the nose. Gradually, notes of vanilla, coconut milk and lemon meringue tart emerge.
Palate: Radiant, well-balanced. The full- bodied spirit is at first refreshingly herbaceous (barley field, fern). Very delicately, the mid-palate becomes pleasantly rich (fresh brioche, baguette). Next, white peaches and pears release their deliciously tangy juice onto the taste buds as acacia honey spreads voluptuously around the sides of the palate.
Finish: Long, silky. Incredibly fresh flavours of herbal tea (sage, camomile, verbena) cross through the initially. Then, grains of salt are placed gently onto a bed of cut grass. The mentholated, very slightly empyreumatic (smoking cigar) and spicy (fresh ginger) retro-nasal olfaction gradually reveals subtle floral notes (pear tree, lily of the valley) while the empty glass releases subtle fermentation aromas.
Masataka Taketsuru, Nikka’s founder, aimed to make his blends more complex by widening the variety of whiskies. In 1967, he was exploring the northern part of Honshu to find another ideal site for his second distillery. He came across a beautiful foggy glen surrounded by mountains and at a junction of two clean rivers. Once he tried the water from one of the rivers, he was so impressed that he immediately decided to build a distillery there.
Miyagikyo’s terroir and distillation method are quite a contrast compare to Yoichi’s. The pot stills are much larger with different shapes such as a bulge neck and an ascending lyne arm. They are heated by indirect steam at a much lower temperature that allows slower distillation. Hence a soft, fruity and floral character of spirit.
NIKKA DISCOVERY SERIES
A series of limited editions highlighting Nikka’s various experiments in every step of the making process.
Overturn the preconceived images of the single malts.
Two limited editions in 2022: Miyagikyo and Yoichi Aromatic yeast, featuring diversity of ingredients.
Re-discover the primitive style of each distillery at the same time.
Non chill-filtered to maximise the distinctive flavours.
ABV determined individually for each expression to best enhance the flavours.
