Miyagikyo Single Malt

This Miyagikyo Single Malt unaged version was released in 2016 as a standard product, showcasing the elegant style of Miyagikyo malt, at a time when many Japanese whiskey producers stopped releasing aged whiskeys due to the high demand that could not be met. This bottling has ester aromas generated by carefully selected yeast strains along with characteristic sherry cask influence.

Miyagikyo, in contrast to Yoichi, has a greater focus on non-smoked whisky, and the style is lighter and more “Speyside-like”. The boilers are larger and heated with steam, and the pipes from the boilers to the condenser go upwards. Since 2017, Nikka has also been making vodka and gin on Coffey stills at Miyagikyo.

Miyagikyo Single Malt is a range of single malt expressions from Miyagikyo Distillery. Nikka’s founder Masataka Taketsuru chose a valley in Miyagi Prefecture as the location for his second distillery and started its operation in 1969. He aimed to create a complete contrast between the two distilleries, Miyagikyo and Yoichi, with different natural environments and production methods. Miyagikyo malts are described as elegant and fruity. Made from lightly peated and non-peated malted barley, whiskeys distilled in pot stills heated with indirect steam express a characteristic fruitiness and delicate mouthfeel.

This unaged version was released in 2016 as a standard product, showcasing the elegant style of Miyagikyo malt, at a time when many Japanese whiskey producers stopped releasing aged whiskeys due to the high demand that could not be met. This bottling has ester aromas generated by carefully selected yeast strains along with characteristic sherry cask influence.