Japanese whisky giant Nikka has been on the countdown to their 90th Anniversary which will happen in 2024, doing so through their annual Discovery Series, with each volume in the series intended to give fans a peek at Nikka's behind-the-scenes experiments.

This gives their distilleries the flexibility to play around with a variety of different styles than the usual. In 2021, the first volume saw a peat switcheroo with a non-peated Yoichi and a peated Miyagikyo, and in 2022 the second volume saw yeast become the main theme with their "Aromatic Yeast" interpretations of both Yoichi and Miyagikyo single malts.

In 2023, the third volume of the series will see the release of a somewhat often overlooked yet highly critical battleground for the Japanese whisky landscape - grain whisky with Nikka "The Grain".

It is bottled at 48% ABV and priced at 12,000 Yen (or US$90). A total of 10,000 bottles will be released for the domestic Japan market with another 10,000 bottles released internationally.

The Big Grain Battle

As a quick recap, grain whisky has been a hot topic with Japanese whisky makers because of the looming new Japanese whisky labelling regulations which will be activated in 2024, requiring Japanese whiskymakers to produce their whiskies entirely in Japan in order to use the haloed term "Japanese whisky" on their bottle labels.

And yet few whiskymakers have grain whisky capabilities - grain whisky often being seen as key to making a good blended whisky by providing a more neutral canvas for single malts to be married together cohesively.

TLDR: Japanese-made Grain Whisky is hot commodity.

Nikka "The Grain"

Nonetheless that whole fight to get grain whisky capabilities up and running asap is of little concern to Nikka which has been producing grain whiskies for decades now with its flagship core expression the Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky.

In fact, this new expression of Nikka The Grain is probably the biggest flex right now, as we'll see in abit.

The new grain expression from Nikka will feature not just one style of grain, it'll feature "a lively variety of grain whiskeys" with seven styles of grain whiskies blended to form the expression.

The seven styles that will go into Nikka's The Grain include

• Coffey Grain and Coffey Malt Whisky from Miyagikyo Distillery,
• Barley Whisky from Kyushu Moji Factory, 
• Barley and a Corn & Rye Whisky from Satsuma Tsukasa Distillery,
• Coffey Grain and Coffey Malt Whisky from the Nishinomiya Factory.

"The finished Nikka "The Grain" is a unique whiskey that combines various elements. It starts with the gorgeous and rich Coffey grains and the sweetness of Coffey malt, and ends with the aroma of barley, the sweetness of corn, and the freshness of rye."

Official Tasting Notes

Aroma

Freshness reminiscent of marmalade and cider. Woody and vanillic. Sweet and savory cereal aromas like toast and cookies.

Taste

A gentle spice like cinnamon and sweetness of corn. Refreshing, full-bodied flavor derived from rye.

Finish

Faintly bitter sweet aftertaste. Clean aftertaste.

Together they create a barley, corn and rye blended grain expression with "a refreshing spiciness and a mellow and deep sweetness" featuring heavy use of the continuous Coffey distillation still.

Two New Whiskymaking Bases For Nikka

The new expression will also be the debut of two new whisky producing facilities under Nikka - the Moji Factory and the Satsuma Tsukasa Distillery in Kyushu.

Nikka has highlighted that the expression will be the debut of three new styles of grain whiskies - the barley whisky from Moji Factory are characterized by a "rich aroma of barley and a refreshing crispness, unlike Coffey grains, which have a sweet aroma and a smooth texture". The barley whisky from Satsuma Tsukasa Distillery is said to have "a richer barley flavor and a stronger presence", while the corn and rye whiskey also made at the Satsuma Tsukasa Distillery has a "particularly strong character" that is "bourbon-like".

The Moji Factory (originally the Suzuki Shoten Osato Distillery) was first established in 1914 and has thus far been producing Otsu-type Shochu, while the Satsuma Tsukasa Distillery in Aira City was founded 90 years ago as the Airi Sake Brewery, but has since focused on producing potato Shochu that has been aged in Nikka whisky barrels. The two facilities will not only continue to produce Shochu, but will also begin making an array of whiskies alongside but different from the existing Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries.

Nikka's Grain History

Ultimately, this expression's inclusion in the Discovery Series goes back to the brand enroute to celebrating its 90th Anniversary and releasing whiskies that harken back to its history.

Nikka tells us about how its founder Masataka Taketsuru was highly specific in his making of grain whiskies that he needed to make quality blended whiskies. This led to his introduction of the Coffey continuous distiller that was able to provide grain whiskies that could imbue blends with its sweetness and richness. 

Hence it seems only befitting that the third volume of Nikka's Discovery Series is squarely focused on their Grain whiskies. 

Lead image courtesy of Nikka.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team