Nikka's founder Masataka Taketsuru is considered the father of Japanese whisky. After completing studies in chemistry, he was recruited by the Settsu Shuzo company, who sent him to Scotland in 1918 to complete his apprenticeship. There he developed a passion for whisky and decided to dedicate his life to it. In 1934, he built Yoichi, his first distillery, on the island of Hokkaido. Its growing success enabled him to establish a second distillery in 1969, near Sendai, named Miyagikyo. It is from the single malts of these two distilleries that the Nikka Whisky group produces its entire range of Japanese whiskies.

Coming to us straight from Japan, this Japanese whisky is a blend of Yoichi sherry casks, Miyagikyo sherry casks and remade casks, and was reissued to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the wedding between the brand’s founder and his Scottish wife. This blend is perfect and plays wonderfully on its peat, which provides the foundation for all the whisky’s aromas, combining sweet spices with a present but elegant peat, vanilla, chocolate and fresh red fruits. On the palate, although its profile is characterized by peat and a long, salty finish, it also reveals incredible finesse.