Review by: Raygun

The other Nikka distillery, Miyagikyo was established in 1969 in the Tohoku area of Japan, about an hour from Sendai. Unlike Yoichi, which does mainly peated, Miyagikyo uses lightly peated and unpeated malt for the most part, aiming for a lighter style. A lot goes into Nikka blends, but some is sold as a single malt. This NAS expression has mostly replaced anything age-stated, which has become very rare. Reviewed from a mini. Rested for 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Miyagikyo 

Bottler: Nikka 

Region/style: Japanese single malt whisky 

ABV: 45%

Age: NAS  

Cask type: Unspecified, except there’s some use of sherry casks 

Color: 1.3 russet. Likely colored and chill-filtered.

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Nose: Fruity, with apples, pears, and plums. The sherry casks manifest with some raisins and a bit of leather. It has some lightly peated malt, but it’s hard to tell. An unusual woody smell. Maybe that’s the peat.          

Palate: More wood influence than I expected from what I assume is mostly young. Definitely get some youthful chemical harshness. The orchard fruit is present. Caramel and something like Portuguese custard tarts. Some green tea. Some nice stuff, but the youth is hard to miss. It improves with time.  

Finish: Caramel and pastry again. Yes, custard tarts. The fruit flavor is a little more grape and plum than apple now. Thankfully, less of the young notes than the palate. More sherry influence here. I wasn’t enthusiastic about the palate, but the finish is better.    

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Conclusion: I haven’t been too impressed with the NAS entry level releases Nikka and Suntory have been putting out, and this is no exception. There are nice elements to this, but it’s hard to miss the youth. I understand the sudden Japanese whisky craze made it difficult or impossible to maintain an age-stated line. I just can’t get excited about this when there is 15-year-old Scotch available in the same price range that’s a good deal better.

Score: 75

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Kavalan Solist Manzanilla)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Green Spot Chateau Leoville Barton)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Amrut Peated CS)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Taketsuru Pure Malt)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Bushmills 10 Malt)
• 0-49: Blech.