Brand

Nikka whiskies

Nikka is one of the two great houses of Japanese whisky and was founded by Masataka Taketsuru, regarded as the father of Japanese whisky. It has two malt distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagikyo, and belongs to the Asahi group. Its range of blends and malt blends, such as From the Barrel and Taketsuru Pure Malt, is among the most highly regarded in the world for its quality and reasonable price. Its style combines the Scottish tradition with a character of its own.

Created
1934
Owner
Asahi Group
Origin
Japan
In the catalogue
4 whiskies

History, style and where to startNikka official website

4 whiskies

Guide to Nikka

History

Taketsuru studied chemistry in Scotland at the end of the 1910s and worked at several distilleries, where he learnt the trade and met Rita, his Scottish wife. On his return he helped set up Japan’s first whisky distillery for another company and, in the mid-1930s, founded his own in Yoichi, in Hokkaido. While his whisky matured he sold apple juice, and that is where the name Nikka comes from, an abbreviation of the original company. At the end of the 1960s he opened Miyagikyo. Asahi soon took a stake and is now its owner.

House style

Nikka’s style combines the power of Yoichi, with smoke and body, and the fruity smoothness of Miyagikyo, plus the grain from its Coffey stills. From the Barrel is intense, spicy and full-bodied, bottled at high strength; Taketsuru Pure Malt blends malts from the two distilleries with balance; Days is light and floral, designed for everyday drinking. The house blends its different malt and grain styles with great care and is famous for the consistency of its blends.

Average flavour profile of its 4 whiskies in the catalogue

Sweet
2.9
Fresh fruit
2.4
Ripe and dried fruit
1.3
Floral and herbal
1.3
Cereal and malt
1.6
Vanilla and creamy
2.1
Oak
1.6
Spicy
1.8
Toasted
1.4
Smoky
0.8
Maritime
0.0
Body and intensity
2.5

Where to start

Nikka Days is the gentlest way in, perfect for a highball. Nikka From the Barrel is a classic among those looking for intensity at a good price, and it’s worth trying with a few drops of water. Taketsuru Pure Malt is the best way to get to know the house’s two distilleries in a single whisky. Trying all three in a row is a good way to understand the house style.

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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