Yoichi 15 Year Old is a single malt from Nikka's first distillery, on the Hokkaido coast, bottled at 45%. It belonged to the age-stated Yoichi range that Nikka withdrew in 2015, and this is the 750mL bottle made for the American market.
About This Whisky
Fifteen years in wood tames the smoke of young Yoichi and lets fruit and nuttiness come forward. The whisky won gold medals at the International Spirits Challenge in 2009 and 2010. When stock ran short during the boom in Japanese whisky, Nikka dropped the 10, 12, 15 and 20 Year Old and replaced them with a single no-age-statement Yoichi. Merchant notes describe a gentle, creamy nose of caramel and nuts, dried apple and peach on the palate, and a long, bittersweet finish.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Gentle and creamy, with caramel, roasted nuts and a wisp of peat.
- Palate: Sweet dried fruit, especially apple and peach, with warming spice and a touch of salt.
- Finish: Long and bittersweet, with soft smoke and oak.
Serving & Food
Pour it neat, slightly below room temperature, into a Glencairn. A teaspoon of cool water brings out the fruit. Grilled scallops, smoked eel or a wedge of Comté sit well beside it.
How to Enjoy
Yoichi fans who want the mature, rounder side of the distillery from the age-stated era.
Product Details
Producer: Nikka Whisky
Distillery: Yoichi
Country: Japan
Region: Hokkaido
Category: Japanese single malt whisky
Age: 15 years
Status: Discontinued 2015
ABV: 45%
Proof: 90
Volume: 750mL
About the Distillery
Yoichi still heats its pot stills directly over coal, a method Nikka describes as centuries old and one that almost every other distillery has abandoned. Workers feed finely powdered coal into the furnaces by hand and watch the flame through the run.
The intense, uneven heat caramelises the wash against the copper and gives a heavier, oilier spirit. The warehouses stand about a kilometre from the Sea of Japan, and the cool, salty air leaves its own mark on the malt as it ages.