On our last trip to Sendai, Honey and I stopped by Miyagikyo’s Nikka Whisky Distillery (ニッカウイスキー) in the mountainous terrains of Tohoku Region’s largest city. It’s creator, Masataka Taketsuru, is largely known as the father of Japanese Whisky, making this place a popular tourist destination for whisky connoisseurs and amateurs alike.
Honey is a straight single-malt kind of man and I’m impartial to whisky myself. But as an integral part of Japan’s commercial industry, I was more than interested in learning more about the craft through one of the most famous distilleries in the country.
For those who aren’t familiar with Japanese whisky, it’s crafted by Scotch standards and has been a big market contender since the 1920s. Nikka (ニッカ), in particular, was the first non-Scottish whisky brand to be recognised for its adherence to the traditional standards.
So, of course we decided to spend a few hours poking around.
Miyagikyo’s Nikka is actually founder Taketsuru’s second distillery–the first being Yoichi in the coastal regions of southern Hokkaido. He went on to build this Miyagikyo location to expand his whisky production blends, seeking prime, natural real estate to maximise his whisky craft. I say he picked a good place, as we were met with stunning views surrounding the distillery grounds.
Upon arrival, we headed to the visitor’s centre where they conduct free tours of the distillery every hour. Each tour lasts around 70 minutes and includes a free tasting of three products at the end. In addition, they provide audio guides in Korean, Mandarin Chinese and English.
As we waited for the next tour, Honey and I explored the rest of the visitor’s centre, which is filled with displays about whisky-making. Beside each of them also include large packets of poster translations.
There were step-by-step figures and descriptions leading up to fermentation, as well as videos showing different steps of the distilling process to barrel-making. In addition, some places had various whisky for visitors to “nose” (technical term for enjoying the aromas).
At the far end of the room is a timeline of the life and history of Taketsuru and his wife Rita, and how they came to found Nikka. As the story goes, Taketsuru was studying abroad in Glasgow when he met his future wife. After returning to Japan together, Taketsuru worked with Kotobukiya’s (now Suntory) Shinjiro Torii as pioneers at the forefront of Japanese whisky.
Eventually Taketsuru went on to found Dai Nippon Kaju (大日本果汁), which produced a variety of fruit alcohol, while working on his whisky distillery dreams. The brand was renamed to Nippon Kaju, then Nikka for short. Each one of their products is glass-encased to match the timeline.
We finished looking at the whole exhibit just in time for the tour, which starts as a short video presentation in the theatre room, followed by walking the grounds. The tour itself was okay, as we were only allowed access to the most basic of production areas.
At the end, we retired to the guest hall, where the much anticipated portion of the tour began: the tasting.
On that day, we were allowed a glass each of their apple wine, Super Nikka (created in honour of wife, Rita), and their single malt.
Each description roughly describes:
- Apple wine: aged in brandy barrels. Mild sweetness that lingers. Enjoy straight, on-the-rocks, or with soda.
- Super Nikka: blend of malted barley and cafe grain. Smooth, sweet, balanced. Has a mature fragrance and peat aroma.
- Single malt: fruity scents of apple and pear, vanilla from the barrels, and sweetness from wheat and barley with slight bitterness.
In case you’re a whisky-newb like me, they also have instructions on how to best enjoy the tastings, and offer ice and water. There was also non-alcoholic refreshments for designated drivers of parties that came by car.
After the tasting, the area exists to the gift shop, where there is a vast selection of souvenirs to choose from. These included various alcohol infused chocolates and snacks, miniature-sized alcohol, nonalcoholic beverages, and glassware.
Overall, I’d say the Nikka experience was excellent. Tucked away in the quiet plains by river streams, why not stop by to learn about and taste some whisky?
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-Waifu ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
Because I'm Waifu 