Nikka the Grain Whisky (48%)

Although it still comes as a surprise to many people, even some dedicated whisky aficionados, Japan has a long and storied history of whisky production, and a pivotal part of that history occurred when a young chemistry student named Masataka Taketsuru travelled to Scotland and became enchanted with its whiskies. Returning to Japan after apprenticeships at the Hazelburn and Longmorn distilleries, he went on to found Nikka, which no less an authority than Dave Broom cites as one of the two pillars of Japanese whisky even today, the other being Suntory.

(To delve deeply into Japanese whisky and its culture, I unreservedly recommend Broom’s book, The Way of Whisky, published by Mitchell Beazley in 2017.)

Nikka is known for many whisky expressions, from the Yoichi Single Malt to the blended Nikka from the Barrel, but the company might be best recognized for its Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky, named for the Coffey still responsible for its production.

That Coffey Grain and its sister brand, Coffey Malt, both figure in this blended whisky, in both newer form from the Miyagiko distillery and aged from the now closed Nishinomiya distillery, which was first home to the still. Also included is barley grain whisky from the Moji distillery and ‘whiskies’ – no mention of how many or whether or not they are each single grain whiskies – distilled from barley, corn, and rye at the Satsumastukasa distillery.   

Pale gold in colour, this unique blend has a very fresh and grainy aroma, a bit of a walk in a barley field, a bit like nosing a handful of mixed dried grains, a bit floral, and a very little bit like a most appealing breakfast cereal. Adding complexity is a soft note of lemon and a light whiff of white pepper. On the palate, there is a honey-ish sweetness up front, accented by a hint of preserved lemon and leading to an enticing blend of cereal flavours mixing the sweetness of corn with a backbone of barley and the spice of rye, all against the gentle backdrop of citrus and tropical fruit. The finish is off-dry, floral, and lingering.

What truly impresses me is the mouthfeel of this whisky, which could easily be thin, as are some grain whiskies, but is instead rich and round and mouth-coating in an entirely pleasurable fashion. Part of this is quite naturally attributable to its elevated alcohol content, but I think it is more so a result of the skillful blending of whiskies. You could, of course, add a little water to lower the proof, but having tried it, I would caution against the practice as each drop of water lessens the exciting fullness of this spirit.

89 ($188 - $190)