Prices
Prices and stock come from each retailer's website. Check with the store before you buy.
More from this distillery: All Nikka whiskies and prices
About
What it is
A 12 year old single malt from Yoichi, Nikka's Hokkaido distillery, bottled at 45%. Nikka discontinued its Yoichi age statements in 2015 during the stock shortage, so age-stated Yoichi bottles are either older stock or part of the company's more recent reintroductions.
Where it comes from
Nikka publishes compliance status per product, and Yoichi Single Malt carries the statement that it meets all the criteria of Japanese whisky as defined by the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association. Distilled, matured and bottled in Japan with no imported component. Nikka flags several of its blends as failing the same test, so the positive statement on the single malts is meaningful rather than assumed.
How it's made
Masataka Taketsuru chose Yoichi in 1934 because the cold, damp, coastal climate reminded him of Scotland. The distillery is one of the last anywhere still using direct coal-fired pot stills, a method that applies fierce, uneven heat and produces a heavier, more robust spirit than steam heating. Peated malt and sea air from Ishikari Bay do the rest. Twelve years is enough for the oak to round off the edges without burying the distillery character.
What to expect
Peat smoke, brine and dried fruit, with dark chocolate and a meaty, sulphurous depth underneath. Twelve years brings out more fruit than the no age statement version and softens the smoke without removing it. At 45% it's assertive and rewards a drop of water.
How it compares
Against Yoichi Single Malt with no age statement, the 12 has more polish and more fruit for considerably more money. Against Miyagikyo, Nikka's other malt, they're deliberate opposites: Yoichi heavy and smoky, Miyagikyo light and fruity. Against Hakushu, the other well known Japanese peated malt, Yoichi is far heavier and more maritime where Hakushu is green and herbal.
