Distillery

Miyagikyo whiskies

Miyagikyo is Nikka’s second malt distillery, in a valley surrounded by mountains near Sendai, in Miyagi prefecture, in northern Japan, between two rivers. It was founded by Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japanese whisky, at the end of the 1960s, to have a style complementary to Yoichi’s. As well as malt, it houses the company’s Coffey stills, with which it produces its well-known Coffey Grain and Coffey Malt.

Founded
1969
Owner
Nikka Whisky Distilling
Origin
Japan
In the catalogue
3 whiskies

History, style and where to startSee it on the world map

  • Miyagikyo distillery, photo 1 of 3
    Photo: Tak1701d · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • Miyagikyo distillery, photo 2 of 3
    Photo: くろふね · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • Miyagikyo distillery, photo 3 of 3
    Photo: くろふね · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)

3 whiskies

Guide to Miyagikyo

History

Taketsuru spent years looking for a site for his second distillery and chose this valley for its water, its humidity and its resemblance to the Scottish landscapes he had known in his youth. The distillery began producing at the end of the 1960s with steam-heated stills, designed to give a lighter style than Yoichi’s. Later the house’s Coffey-type continuous stills were moved to Miyagikyo, an old model that hardly anyone uses any more and that gives a grain with more body and flavour. Nikka now belongs to the Asahi group.

House style

Miyagikyo’s style is smooth, fruity and floral: apple, pear, peach, vanilla and flowers, with a medium body and an elegant finish. Its broad-necked, steam-heated stills give a light, clean spirit. Coffey Grain and Coffey Malt are sweeter and rounder, with vanilla, coconut, caramel and tropical fruit. It is a style that contrasts with Yoichi’s smoky power.

Average flavour profile of its 3 whiskies in the catalogue

Sweet
3.7
Fresh fruit
2.5
Ripe and dried fruit
0.7
Floral and herbal
1.0
Cereal and malt
1.3
Vanilla and creamy
3.0
Oak
1.5
Spicy
1.0
Toasted
1.3
Smoky
0.0
Maritime
0.0
Body and intensity
2.0

Where to start

Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt is the way into the distillery: smooth, fruity and floral. Nikka Coffey Grain, a very sweet, rounded corn grain whisky, is a bar classic, and Coffey Malt, malted barley distilled in a Coffey still, is a much-appreciated rarity. All three show Nikka’s gentlest side. Drink them neat or as a highball.

This text was generated and translated by AI and may contain errors. Founding year, owner and official website come partly from Wikidata.

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