06 May Whisky Wednesday: Nikka’s Miyagikyo 12 year old whisky

For this edition of Whisky Wednesdays at Tokyo Bird, we’re featuring a Japanese single malt on the blog and at our Surry Hills small bar: Nikka Whisky’s Miyagikyo 12 year old whisky.

Learn about the whisky below, and then explore the tasting notes and get the best drinking recommendation from us at Tokyo Bird.

Whisky: Miyagikyo 12 year old
Distiller: Nikka Whisky
Origin: Sendai, North-east Honshu, Japan
Type: Single malt
ABV: 45%

Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo 12

Tasting notes

Colour (what does it look like?):
Golden yellow, faint amber

Nose (what does it smell like?):
Chocolate, green apple, orange zest, dried fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg, roasted chestnuts

Palate (what does it taste and feel like?):
Sweet malty cereals, creamy, candied orange peel

Finish (how does the flavour finish on the palate?):
Long finish, smoky peat

Background

Pronounced like the Karate Kid‘s Mr Miyagi (played by the legend that was and still is Pat Morita – stay with us here, people born after the 80s) with “kyo” on the end, Miyagikyo 12 year old whisky is a single malt from Nikka Whisky, one of the two major whisky distillers in Japan.

Nikka’s Miyagikyo distillery is located in the Miyagi prefecture near Sendai; the second-largest city north of Tokyo on Japan’s main island of Honshu. The distillery itself is enclosed by mountains and sits between two rivers, in an area with humidity and air ideal for smooth, mild malts.

The distillery is unique in that it produces both malt and grain whiskies, but today we’re talking about a single malt. Miyagikyo 12 is distilled in pot stills that are heated by steam (rather than direct heat) at low temperatures, producing different characters from Nikka’s other distillery, Yoichi, where the stills are directly coal-heated.

The more delicate-noted whisky is then aged for a minimum of 12 years in bourbon and sherry casks, bringing out the chocolate and fruit notes.

Best drinking

I’d recommend having Miyagikyo 12 neat but sometimes the alcohol heat can be a little daunting, so serving it over our hand-carved ice balls will do the trick.

Check out our ice ball Masterclass on Monday, 25 May 2015 as part of World Class Cocktail Week and book here.

What do you think?

Leave a comment with your thoughts on Nikka’s Miyagikyo 12 year old whisky – or come try it at Tokyo Bird tonight! Mention #WhiskyWednesdays to get free bar snacks with your Whisky of the Week (tonight only).