World Whisky Review #24: Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt

Distillery: Miyagikyo

Region: Miyagi, Japan

Price: Don’t remember

ABV: 45.0%

Age: NAS.

Color: 0.6, Old Gold.

Nose: It’s pretty light and bright. There’s a bit of orchard fruit in the form of apples and Asian pears. It’s accompanied by a white wine note.

Palate: It’s malt forward with a good dose of Asian pear along side it. There’s a bit of vanilla mixed in as well.

Finish: Rather short. It’s again malty and finishes a little dry like a white wine would.

Conclusion: I’ve enjoyed just about every Nikka expression I’ve tried and this one is no different. It’s a basic, straightforward single malt. The bits of fruit are nice and it plays well with the vanilla and malt which make it quite easy to drink. Not bad at all. Would I buy a bottle? If it sold for around $30-40, absolutely. Unfortunately, it goes for closer to $80 and this is not worth that at all.

Final Score: 77.

World Whisky Review #24, Japanese Whisky Review #12, Whisky Network Review #199

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.