Nikka Yoichi

Yoichi lies in a small fishing town on the coast of Hokkaido, in Japan's far north. Masataka Taketsuru founded it in 1934 after studying whisky-making in Scotland, choosing the site for a cool, damp climate that reminded him of Scotland. It is still the heart of Nikka Whisky, which today belongs to Asahi.

The spirit owes much of its character to its stills. Yoichi heats its pot stills directly with coal fires, a rare practice now, which gives a heavy, oily spirit. Much of the malt is peated, and the house style often carries smoke, a salty sea air and rich fruit.

The core bottling is Yoichi Single Malt, and older or limited releases such as Yoichi 10 Years and distillery-exclusive bottlings turn up as well. Yoichi malt is also a key part of Nikka blends and blended malts such as Taketsuru Pure Malt. Some ranges in our catalogue, like Coffey Grain, Coffey Malt and Miyagikyo Single Malt, come from Nikka's other distillery at Miyagikyo rather than Yoichi itself.

Almost all Yoichi is bottled by Nikka. Independent bottlings are very rare, so what a buyer meets is nearly always an official release.