Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt Japanese Whisky – 70cl
Nikka Coffey Malt Japanese Whisky - 70cl
Nikka Coffey Grain Japanese Whisky – 70cl
Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt Japanese Whisky – 70cl
Nikka Yoichi Single Malt Japanese Whisky - 70cl
The Nikka Tailored Premium Blended Japanese Whisky – 70cl
Nikka Days Blended Japanese Whisky – 70cl
Nikka Yoichi 10 Years Japanese Whisky – 70cl
Nikka Super Rare Old Blended Japanese Whisky – 70cl
Nikka Yoichi Grande Non-Chill Filtered Japanese Whisky - 70cl
Nikka From The Barrel Japanese Whisky with Ice Bucket – 50cl
Nikka Yoichi Discovery Aromatic Yeast Japanese Whisky – 70cl
Nikka Whisky Singapore
The whisky house founded by Masataka Taketsuru — the chemistry student who learned to distil in Scotland and brought the craft home. Yoichi single malt, Miyagikyo single malt, Nikka From The Barrel, Taketsuru Pure Malt and the Coffey grain and malt range, delivered free across Singapore.
Buy Nikka whisky in Singapore
The Liquid Collection stocks the live Nikka lineup available in Singapore — Yoichi and Miyagikyo single malts, Nikka From The Barrel, Taketsuru Pure Malt, Nikka Coffey Grain, Nikka Coffey Malt, Nikka Days and the entry blends. Nikka is the second great house of Japanese whisky, sitting alongside Suntory's Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki in the wider Japanese whisky category.
Every bottle ships free across Singapore with no minimum order. Browse the range above, or explore Japan's other artisan houses like Chichibu / Ichiro.
Masataka Taketsuru — the father of Japanese whisky
The story of Nikka is the story of Masataka Taketsuru. Born in 1894 to a sake-brewing family in Hiroshima, Taketsuru was sent by his employer to Scotland in 1918 to learn how to make whisky. He enrolled at the University of Glasgow, took apprenticeships at Longmorn, Bo'ness and Hazelburn distilleries, filled two notebooks with detailed observations on every aspect of malting, distilling and maturation — and married a Scottish woman, Jessie Roberta "Rita" Cowan.
He returned to Japan in 1920 with the technical knowledge needed to build a Japanese whisky industry from scratch. Suntory's founder Shinjiro Torii hired him to run the new Yamazaki distillery in 1923. After ten years there, Taketsuru struck out on his own — convinced that real whisky country in Japan was not the warm Kyoto suburbs but the cold north. In 1934 he founded what would become Nikka in the small fishing town of Yoichi on the coast of Hokkaido. Rita stood by him through every step of it. The story was dramatised in NHK's 2014 morning drama Massan, which made Taketsuru a household name across Japan.
Yoichi and Miyagikyo — two distilleries, two characters
Yoichi (1934, Hokkaido)
Taketsuru's original distillery, on the Sea of Japan coast in Hokkaido. The site was chosen for its cold climate, peat-rich soil and the abundance of clean water — conditions Taketsuru recognised from his Scottish apprenticeship. Yoichi is one of the very few distilleries in the world still using direct coal-fired pot stills, a technique abandoned almost everywhere else for cost and efficiency. The result is a robust, smoky, briny single malt with real maritime weight — closer to a Highland coastal style than to the lighter Suntory house.
Miyagikyo (1969, Sendai)
Taketsuru's second distillery, founded 35 years later in a misty valley near Sendai where two rivers meet. He chose the site for almost the opposite qualities to Yoichi — soft water, gentle climate, sheltered air. Miyagikyo runs steam-heated stills with reflux balls and produces a softer, fruitier, more elegant single malt full of red apple, honey and gentle floral notes. Together, Yoichi and Miyagikyo gave Taketsuru everything he needed to blend at the highest level.
The Coffey stills — Nikka's secret weapon
In 1963, Nikka imported a pair of Coffey stills — the continuous column stills patented by Irish inventor Aeneas Coffey in the 1830s — and installed them first at Nishinomiya, later relocating to Miyagikyo. Coffey stills are how most Scottish grain whisky and almost all bourbon is made. They produce a lighter, sweeter, more refined spirit than pot stills.
What makes Nikka unique is what they do with them. Most distillers run their Coffey stills only on corn or wheat. Nikka runs theirs on both corn (producing Nikka Coffey Grain — vanilla-rich, almost bourbon-like) and on malted barley (producing Nikka Coffey Malt — a category of whisky that essentially does not exist anywhere else in the world). The Coffey series is one of the most distinctive and collectable parts of the Nikka range.
The Nikka range
The Nikka house style
Where Suntory's malts lean elegant, perfumed and Mizunara-touched, Nikka's lean closer to Scotland — with weight, depth and (in Yoichi's case) real smoke. Nikka From The Barrel and Taketsuru Pure Malt sit at the centre of the range, balancing Yoichi's robust coastal malt with Miyagikyo's softer fruit and the sweetness of Coffey grain. The house is, fundamentally, what you'd build if you wanted to make Scotch in Japan and then take it somewhere new.
Nikka serves brilliantly across the spectrum. Yoichi is at its best neat, perhaps with a few drops of water to open the smoke. Miyagikyo and Taketsuru reward the same treatment. Nikka From The Barrel — at 51.4% — is built for water or a single ice cube. Nikka Days and the Coffey series shine in a Highball. For a comparable Scottish blended-malt experience, see our Blended Scotch page.
A note on Nikka availability
Like Suntory, Nikka has been affected by limited matured stock. In 2015 the company discontinued the entire aged Yoichi range (10, 12, 15, 20 Year Old), the aged Miyagikyo range, and aged Taketsuru Pure Malt (17, 21, 25 Year Old). They were replaced with the no-age-statement core expressions that anchor the range today. Original aged bottles trade actively on the secondary market and have appreciated significantly since discontinuation.
Limited annual releases — including aged Yoichi and Miyagikyo single cask bottlings and special Taketsuru editions — continue to appear in small allocations. Confirmed stock and current pricing for every Nikka expression we carry is shown on each individual product page.
Awards and global recognition
Nikka has been a fixture at the top of the world whisky awards for nearly two decades. Yoichi 1984 was named Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards in 2008 — one of the milestone moments that put Japanese whisky on the world map alongside Suntory's Yamazaki Sherry Cask. Nikka From The Barrel has won World's Best Blended Whisky multiple times. Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 Year Old took World's Best Blended Malt repeatedly through the 2010s. The Coffey Grain and Coffey Malt expressions have collected gold medals at every major spirits competition.
Nikka FAQ
Who founded Nikka Whisky?
Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, widely regarded as the father of Japanese whisky. As a young chemistry student, Taketsuru spent two years in Scotland in the 1920s learning distillation, married a Scottish woman named Rita, and returned to Japan to help Shinjiro Torii build Yamazaki. He later left Suntory and founded his own distillery in Yoichi, Hokkaido, where the cold sea air and peat-rich soil reminded him of Scotland.
What is the difference between Yoichi and Miyagikyo?
Yoichi sits on the coast of Hokkaido and uses coal-fired pot stills — one of the only distilleries in the world still doing so. The result is a robust, smoky, almost briny single malt with the character of Scottish island whiskies. Miyagikyo, by contrast, sits in a misty valley near Sendai and uses steam-heated stills with reflux balls, producing a softer, fruitier, more elegant malt. The two together gave Taketsuru everything he needed to blend.
What is Nikka Coffey Grain?
Coffey stills are continuous column stills patented by Aeneas Coffey in the 1830s — the same technology used to make most Scottish grain whisky and bourbon. Taketsuru imported a pair of these stills in the 1960s and ran them at his Miyagikyo distillery to make grain whisky for blending. Nikka Coffey Grain is the bottled single grain version — sweet, vanilla-rich, almost bourbon-like. Nikka Coffey Malt is the same still run with malted barley instead of corn — a category that essentially doesn't exist anywhere else.
Why are aged Yoichi and Miyagikyo no longer available?
Nikka discontinued the aged Yoichi (10, 12, 15, 20 Year Old) and Miyagikyo single malt age statements in 2015, citing limited stocks of suitably aged whisky. They were replaced with no-age-statement core expressions. Limited annual releases and travel-retail editions still appear, and original bottles trade actively on the secondary market — see our Fine & Rare selection.
What is Nikka From The Barrel?
Nikka From The Barrel is a high-proof blend of Yoichi and Miyagikyo malts and Coffey grain whisky, bottled at 51.4% ABV in a distinctive square 50cl bottle. It has won World's Best Blended Whisky at the World Whiskies Awards multiple times and is widely considered one of the best-value premium whiskies in the world. A cult bottle for whisky drinkers globally.
How does Nikka compare to Suntory?
Suntory and Nikka are the two great houses of Japanese whisky. Suntory's malts (Yamazaki, Hakushu) lean elegant, fruity and Mizunara-perfumed. Nikka's malts (Yoichi, Miyagikyo) lean more robust and Scotch-influenced — Yoichi in particular shares ground with peated Highland and Island styles. Hibiki and Nikka From The Barrel sit at similar prestige levels. Most serious Japanese whisky drinkers eventually own bottles from both houses.
Which Nikka should a beginner start with?
Nikka From The Barrel is the natural starting point — premium quality, recognised globally, very fairly priced. Nikka Days is the lighter, easy-drinking everyday option. For single malt, the no-age-statement Yoichi and Miyagikyo are the entries to each distillery's house style. Nikka Coffey Grain is the recommendation for anyone who already enjoys bourbon — see our Bourbon page for the comparison.
Do you deliver Nikka across Singapore?
Yes. Free delivery anywhere in Singapore with no minimum order. Standard lead time is 3 working days.