Nikka Yoichi Single Malt Japanese Whisky - 70cl

The bold, characterful soul of Nikka — Yoichi Single Malt is the flagship expression from Japan's most dramatically situated distillery, built in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru on the rugged, sea-battered coast of Hokkaido after a meticulous search for a Japanese location that most closely resembled the Scottish Highlands where he had trained. He found it at Yoichi — cool, maritime, and surrounded by mountains — and built a distillery so faithful to Scottish tradition that it remains one of the last anywhere in the world to use direct coal-fire distillation, a labour-intensive method long abandoned by the Scots themselves, producing a spirit of remarkable richness, oily body, and subtle coastal smokiness that is instantly and unmistakably Yoichi in character.

A vatting of malt whiskies of various ages, distilled from both peated and unpeated barley and matured in American oak, sherry, and re-charred casks, the Yoichi Single Malt perfectly captures the distillery's defining duality — the peat and brine of its Hokkaido coastal home balanced by vivid tropical fruit, honey, and a creamy pot still richness. Bottled at 45% ABV and meeting all criteria of Japanese whisky as defined by the Japan Spirits & Liqueur Makers Association, this is the essential introduction to Nikka's bolder, more assertive side.