Bartender’s choice: The Yoichi

Of all Nikka’s whiskies, the most famous is without a doubt the Yoichi, one of the first Japanese whiskies to earn worldwide attention. The whisky is named after the distillery where it is made. Not only is Yoichi made using Scottish methods; the pride of Nikka’s lineup is the company’s response to Scottish whiskies.

Yoichi was selected as “the best of the best” in a blind test of malt whiskies by Whisky Magazine back in 2001. At this event, the Yoichi 10 Year Old Single Cask outscored Speyside malts, Island malts, Highland Park and Elijah Craig.

Here’s the little-known truth: Yoichi 10 Year Old Single Cask was made with the help of everyday Japanese whisky lovers. In 1987, Nikka held an event called “Let’s Make My Whisky” where selected Japanese whisky lovers went to the Yoichi distillery to help make their dream whisky. Then 10 years later, a single cask of the whisky they made was bottled and sent to their homes. This whisky was then made into Nikka Yoichi 10 Year Old Single Cask, a whisky not only made by the people at Nikka, but also by individual whisky lovers in Japan.

In addition to the standard Yoichi flavor, the 10 Year Old Single Cask contains an unusual amount of peat, giving it a somewhat “deeper” taste than the standard Yoichi whiskies.

To enjoy this Yoichi to the fullest, try mixing 55ml with 5ml of Ricard, stir and add a few rocks. This greatly enhances the aroma of the whisky!