![]() We undertook the challenge of doing that in the hope of creating a rich, full-bodied whisky. “That ten-year-old whisky was aged in new casks. Sugimoto Jun’ichi, the head of the Yoichi distillery. (right)Īt the distillery we meet the head of operations, Sugimoto Jun’ichi, who tells us more about how Nikka Single Cask Yoichi earned the top prize from Whisky Magazine in 2001: (left) View of the distillery from the second-floor window of the stone gate. Stone gate entrance to Nikka’s Yoichi distillery. The distillery buildings look the same as they did when they first opened, 80 years earlier. Nikka Single Cask Yoichi 10 Years Old (left) Suntory Hibiki 21 Years Old (center) Nikka Taketsuru 21 Years Old (right) 80-year-old Yoichi Distillery Untouched by TimeĪn hour’s train ride from Sapporo, at the base of the Shakotan Peninsula, is Yoichi-a town of roughly 20,000 inhabitants that is a center of apple, cherry, and other fruit production. Near Yoichi’s train station, on the other side of a magnificent stone gate, is the Nikka distillery that has given birth to the malt whisky voted the world’s best in 2001. Note: “WM” is the abbreviation for Whisky Magazine and “WMA” stands for World Whiskies Awards Major Award-Winning Japanese Whiskies 2001 We visited two distilleries in Japan to uncover the secrets behind their success. As is clear from the table below, today’s Japanese whiskies proudly stand shoulder to shoulder with Scotch whiskies in terms of quality and flavor. This year marks the 90th anniversary of the beginning of malt whisky production in Japan, which began in 1924 at the distillery of Kotobukiya (present-day Suntory Ltd.) located in the Yamazaki area outside Kyoto. It was the first time for Japanese whisky to be recognized as among the world’s best, beating out renowned whiskies distilled in Scotland, the birthplace of the drink. The British publication Whisky Magazine held its first “Best of the Best” contest in 2001, and Japanese distillers came away with the top two spots, as Suntory’s Hibiki 21-year-old placed second and Nikka’s Yoichi 10-year-old grabbed the first prize overall.įor the contest, 62 experts evaluated 47 whisky brands from Britain, the United States, and Japan. How is it that a drink made with nothing more than barley and water can be cultivated to have such marvelously complex aromas and flavors? The answer comes down to a combination of the long aging process of up to 20 years or more after distillation, when natural flavors are picked up from casks storing the malt whisky, and the expertise of those tasked with overseeing the production process. The whisky lover is transported by the sight of the amber liquid and its rich, complex aroma intermingled with traces of the malt used to make the drink and hints of other ingredients. The experience of savoring a glass of fine whisky is like entering into another world.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |