Nikka Yoichi Single Malt Non-Peated Limited Edition 2021

Nikka Yoichi Non-Peated 2021 is the inaugural US release of the Nikka Discovery Series — a limited edition designed to challenge preconceived ideas about each distillery by exploring what happens when the defining characteristic is removed: Yoichi, universally known for its heavy peat and smoke, made entirely from unpeated malts, revealing the distillery's fruit character and the distinctive smokiness generated not by peated malt but by the coal-fired direct distillation itself.

The Nikka Discovery Series was announced ahead of Nikka's 90th anniversary in 2024, with each year focusing on a different element of the whisky-making process. Year one (2021) focused on ingredients — specifically peat — by swapping each distillery's typical approach: Yoichi uses unpeated malt, Miyagikyo uses peated malt. The Yoichi Non-Peated demonstrates that even without peat in the malt, Yoichi's direct coal-fired distillation still produces smokiness — the coal fire itself contributes to the spirit's character independently of the malted barley's peat level. The result overturns the expected: a Yoichi with delicate balance of bright fruitiness and rich mouthfeel alongside a distinctive smokiness that has nothing to do with the malt.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Bright fruitiness from the unpeated malt — more orchard fruit and less medicinal smoke than standard Yoichi
• Palate: Rich mouthfeel with the coal-fire smokiness present despite the unpeated malt — fruit and smoke in a different balance than standard Yoichi
• Finish: Clean and distinctive — the coal-fire character persisting without the peated malt backbone

Specs

• Distillery: Yoichi Distillery, Nikka Whisky, Hokkaido, Japan
• Series: Nikka Discovery Series — Year 1 (2021)
• Style: Japanese Single Malt Whisky — Non-Peated
• ABV: 47% (94 Proof)
• Size: 750ml

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