The free sampling in the tasting room was well organized. You can learn a lot about the history of Nikka and the history of Japanese whiskey. totally thoughtful! The walk through the complex was nice and interesting. She especially cared about my husband who doesn't understand Japanese so well, and came up to us and asked if everything was ok, or if we had any questions. The lady who showed us around and gave explanation was friendly and also professional.
The food was delicious and was served speedy, so that we were able to have a real nice lunch break. We thought we might have a quick bite before going to the meeting point so we went to the restaurant inside the complex. We had booked the guided tour (only in Japanese) in advance for 2pm, but as we arrived much earlier the lady at the reception suggested to join the one at 1pm and changed the booking for us. I went to Nikka Whisky Distillery Yoichi in April 2015 with my husband and our 11 years old son and I thought it was really a nice place. Its easy access from the trainstation so go, but dont have to high excaptions. We took the train and the scenary on the train jorney was fine as well. So if youre out driving and passing by its worth making a stop. It migth be the wrong time of the year for that. Nikka was more of a museum, no production at the time we where there. In Scotland you usually go with a guide that shows the whole production chain and sees every step and they actually is making whisky during the tour so you can get the smell and the heat from the burners. You where not allowed to se anything, there where just a lot of sign that said " do not enter". Ok the setting is nice and you can take i few nice photos, when we where there we could taste to diffrent whiskys (10 single malt and 17 blended) and thats also ok.īut apart from that it was nothing o few videodisplays ( i can watch that on youtube). Me and my friend has been to quite a few destillerys in scotland and we read som reviews here and where really disipointed at Nikka. The first bad review and I can not understand what everybody was so happy about. If you're a real fan of whisky then I would allow over two hours for the visit. Sadly, these wonderful whiskies are no longer available for sale - or at least at any price mere mortals would pay - but there are some distillery only offerings in the shop that offer a consolation buy. The free tastings are great, but the opportunity to sample some of the old malts at a reasonable price is the real tasting highlight. Coal fired stills have now vanished from Scotland and this may be one of the last (if not the last) whisky distiller to fire the stills with coal. I was lucky enough to be in the stills building when they fired up the furnace under one of the stills, and then happened to be passing as they were stoking it. There's not much info in English but if you understand the distilling process then it's not an issue. The distillery has a wonderful history which unfolds as you walk round the different buildings. It's not mind-blowing or complex, but it's not claiming to be - it's just a pleasant, drinking whisky that represents phenomenal value for money.It was quite an experience to meander around the distillery in deep snow - it leant an air of quiet calm to the distillery that was very relaxing. So, it's a little rough and doesn't take water well - but when I tell you that this 180 ml bottle cost me two pounds in the local 7-eleven, you might understand why I'm giving this whisky 3 stars. Water again robs it of any character, and even destroys the ahlcohol heat - but this is bottled at such a low strength you'd be mad to dilute it anyway. The finish is short but nicely peppery and leaves you reaching for another sip. In the mouth, it's a little rough around the edges - a sweet start that slowly yields to a raw grain alcohol harshness, along with an unexpectedly strong alcohol heat given its low 37% ABV strength. Watered, the sweetness is unsurprisingly lost and it becomes rather one dimensional and alcohol-led. There is something about the smell that puts me in mind of a distillery - that raw, untamed alcohol. The aroma is enticing - clean, bright with a pure ethanol punch and a slight backdrop of honey sweetness. I confess that this surprised me a little, as I'd never really thought of Japanese whisky as being particularly peat focused. The 'clear' in the name actually refers to the fact that this was the first Japanese whisky to use entirely unpeated malt. It's especially puzzling because it's neither black nor clear, but rather a fairly normal (if slightly pale) whisky colour. This is Black Clear, a rather confusingly named whisky from their blended side. Nikka are one of the two major distillers in Japan (the other being Suntory) and they produce a range of both premium single malts and cheaper blends. Distillery: Nikka Country: Japan Abv: 37% Rating:
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