Yoichi 20 Year Old is a mature single malt from Nikka's Hokkaido distillery, bottled at 52% and withdrawn along with the rest of the age-stated Yoichi range in 2015. It took a gold medal at the International Spirits Challenge in 2012.
About This Whisky
At 52%, this is stronger than the 15-year-old, and it shows the full weight of Yoichi's coal-fired spirit after two decades in cask. Nikka describes Yoichi malts as bold and strong, with refined peat and smoke from the direct-fired stills and a briny edge from the sea breeze off Ishikari Bay. With age, that power turns towards baked fruit, leather and deep oak, while the smoke settles into the background.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Baked apple, dried citrus and malt, with sea air and gentle peat smoke.
- Palate: Firm and complex. Honeyed malt, spice, leather and mature oak, with a savoury, salty streak.
- Finish: Long and smoky, with citrus peel, oak spice and a lingering salinity.
Serving & Food
Take the first sip neat at 52%, then add water a few drops at a time until the smoke and fruit balance. A thin-walled tulip glass works best. Try it alongside grilled lamb, aged cheddar or oysters.
How to Enjoy
Serious Nikka collectors and anyone curious how Yoichi's heavy spirit evolves over twenty years.
Product Details
Producer: Nikka Whisky
Distillery: Yoichi
Country: Japan
Region: Hokkaido
Category: Japanese single malt whisky
Age: 20 years
Status: Discontinued 2015
ABV: 52%
Proof: 104
Volume: 700mL
About the Distillery
Yoichi made its name abroad in 2001, when a 10-year-old Yoichi single cask scored higher than every other whisky in a blind tasting run by Whisky Magazine, across all categories. Nikka calls it the greatest feat a Japanese whisky had achieved up to then.
A year later the Scotch Malt Whisky Society recognised Yoichi as the first Japanese malt distillery in its programme, and in 2008 Yoichi 1987 was named World's Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards.