Miyagikyo

Miyagikyo was built by Nikka in 1969 in the hills west of Sendai, in Miyagi Prefecture, where the Nikkawa and Hirose rivers meet. Nikka's founder, Masataka Taketsuru, wanted a second distillery with a different climate and character to Yoichi in Hokkaido, so that the company could blend contrasting whiskies.

The spirit is mostly made from unpeated or lightly peated malted barley and distilled in large, steam-heated pot stills with boil balls, which encourage reflux and give a lighter, fruitier spirit. The site also houses Nikka's Coffey stills, which produce the grain whisky behind several of its blends and grain bottlings.

Today most buyers meet the no age statement Miyagikyo single malt. The older 10 Year Old, 12 Year Old and 15 Year Old age statements were withdrawn in 2015 and now sell mainly on the secondary market, as do vintages such as the 1988 Vintage and single casks. Earlier styles labelled Malty & Soft, Fruity & Rich and Sherry Cask, the Aromatic Yeast release from the Nikka Discovery series and limited Rum Wood and Sherry Wood finishes also appear.

Miyagikyo is almost always bottled by Nikka itself; true independent bottlings are very rare.