I have been writing on and off here for about 5 years and in all that time I don’t think I have done many Japanese whiskies. There have been two main reasons for that with the first obvious one being the price. When I joined the whisky scene the Japanese scene seemed to be in a particularly hot phase. The rest of the whisky scene would soon catch up over the next few years but at the time being new to whisky there was no need to spend big to try new and exciting things. The second and partially related reason was my perception that Japanese whisky making was an imported process from Scotch whisky manufacturing and in my naive mindset that doubled down my decision that there was little to be gained from trying hard to find and painful to purchases bottles from Japan.

Half a decade later and I have a tasting set from Master of Malt so over the next 5 articles or so I will be giving these a go.

The Distillery

The Miyagikyo distillery was opened in 1969 in Sendai in northern Japan. The distillery has both pot stills and Coffey stills making for a varied portfolio of whiskies that can be produced. The Coffey stills in use were installed at Miyagikyo in 1999 from another distillery in Japan. To cheekily hark back to my opening remarks this all sounds like an introduction to Loch Lomond distillery.

The Whisky

A no age statement stable house style release from the distillery. The distillery is owned by Nikka and this is about the only release you can get in the UK, some others do exist but the prices are prohibitive. The makeup is a collection of ages and woods to make the finished whisky although it is mentioned in the marketing to be mostly ex-sherry casks.

Tasting Notes

Producer’s Tasting Note:
Nose: Full-flavoured, rich. Initially, concentrated iris notes hint at the extreme intensity of the nose. It then develops aromas of malted barley, exotic fruit (banana), liquorice and camphor. Notes of burnt wood and ash progressively settle over the aromatic palette. Long after, white flowers and beeswax make an appearance.
Palate: Firm, lively. Malted barley is at the heart of the palate, coated in herbaceous, liquorice, spiced (ginger, cinnamon) and chocolate tones. Very elegant, the mid-palate also delivers plenty of energy and as it draws to a close, fresh tobacco leaves and coconut intertwine to create a natural symphony of aromas.
Finish: Long, soft. It evokes the scent of wilted roses. Fine tannins balance its tangy character (lemon, grapefruit). It lingers on notes of tobacco, spices (cardamom, ginger), toasted nuts and stewed fruits (apple, damson). The final nose reveals exotic notes (lychee).

Our Tasting Note:
Nose: Liquorice allsorts and caramel apple and bbq’d banana.
Palate: toasted and charred wood notes with wooden embers and weirdly a whiff of tomato soup with a similar thick texture
Finish: lingers delicately on wood embers and tinned peaches

Conclusions

A good start on stable ground with a single malt whisky along very well trodden flavour profile lines. Expect to pay £75 or so for a good whisky. Is it the thing I would go out and buy? Probably not but it would make an excellent gift for someone who has “tried everything” and you want to impress or surprise.