Yoichi Single Malt

What it is

The no age statement single malt from Yoichi, Nikka's first distillery, bottled at 45%. It became the permanent expression in 2015 when Nikka discontinued its Yoichi age statements as aged stock ran short.

Where it comes from

Nikka publishes compliance status per product on its own website, 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, no imported component. Nikka marks several of its blends with the opposite wording, which is what makes the positive statement meaningful rather than assumed.

How it's made

Masataka Taketsuru chose Yoichi in 1934 because the cold, damp, salt-air coast of Hokkaido was the closest thing in Japan to the Scotland where he trained. The distillery is one of the last anywhere still using direct coal-fired pot stills, hand stoked, which applies fierce and uneven heat and produces a heavier, oilier spirit than steam heating can. It also runs wooden washbacks, worm tub condensers and its own yeast. Peated malt and sea air do the rest. Ten of the buildings on site were designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan in 2022.

What to expect

Peat smoke, brine and dried fruit, with a meaty depth underneath and dark chocolate on the finish. It's the most Scottish-tasting Japanese whisky in the sense Taketsuru intended, and it's assertive at 45%.

How it compares

Against Miyagikyo, Nikka's other malt, they're deliberate opposites: Yoichi heavy and smoky, Miyagikyo light and fruity. Buy both. Against the reintroduced Yoichi 10, the age statement is more refined and far harder to find. Against Hakushu, the other well known Japanese peated malt, Yoichi is heavier and more maritime where Hakushu is green and herbal.