Nikka Yoichi Distillery – Outline

Yoichi Distillery was founded in 1934 by the Japanese whisky legend Masataka Taketsuru who decided to leave Suntory company and Yamazaki distillery to go alone to Scotland in 1918.

Masataka Taketsuru

He went with the purpose of studying the art of whisky making and came back with all the knowledge he needed, and amongst the most precious whisky making skills, he gave careful thought on the environment ones and these stuck in his head since day one,

The distillery must be located in a cold climate with, the precise amount of humidity, with a high-quality source of pristine water and plenty supply of herbaceous peat. Further to these, it should also be close to a local area where good barley is grown and where forests are at your doorstep to supply wood for barrel making and have the coal necessary to fire the stills.

The featured characteristics of Yoichi Single Malt such as boldness and toasty burnt flavours are unique features of this distillation.

Yoichi is located right at the north- west of Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido, facing the Japan Sea, making this area the ideal scenario for all his location requirements he had learnt in Scotland.

Once he was satisfied with all the conditions he had set up himself, Taketsuru’s first distillery was built.

Yoichi distillery is nowadays praised as the most unique distillery in Japan and given its proximity to the Sea of Japan this means its whiskies gain a natural touch of mineralisation and saltiness during the maturation process.

Having a good source of wood due to being located surrounded of plenty of forests, adds the lucky charm of uniqueness and makes it easy accessible to Japanese Mizunara Oak (read more about Mizunara) so maturing with this type of wood is one the key features of Yoichi Whiskies even still.

The traditional coal-fired distillation is hardly seen nowadays in the whisky making industry given the difficulties when controlling the temperature, so highly skilled craftsmen are required, and this traditional process has remained since the origins when Taketsuru’s initiated whisky making at Yoichi distillery.

Pot Stills

Direct Coal Fire

Direct Coal Fire

The featured characteristics of Yoichi Single Malt such as boldness and toasty burnt flavours are unique features of this distillation, but also a power that comes from its peaty flavour

Nikka still takes pride itself in the traditional methods of distilling whisky, continuing the same methods Taketsuru used.

The Yoichi Distillery maintains many of its original stone buildings and also keeps the earth floors of the cask warehouses precisely designed to maintain a year-round humidity, appropriate for whisky maturation. The featured characteristics of Yoichi Single Malt such as boldness and toasty burnt flavours are unique features of this distillation.

YOICHI DISTILLERY – WHISKIES (not all)

Yoichi – NAS	Yoichi 10yo	Yoichi 12yo	Yoichi 15yo
Single Malt	Single Malt	Single Malt	Single Malt

Yoichi 20yo	Yoichi 20yo – 1984	Yoichi 20yo – 1985	Yoichi 20yo – 1986
Single Malt	Single Malt	Single Malt	Single Malt

Yoichi 20yo – 1987	Yoichi 20yo – 1988	Yoichi 20yo – 1989	Yoichi 20yo – 1990
Single Malt	Single Malt	Single Malt	Single Malt

Yoichi 2019 – Limited Edition	Yoichi – Apple Brandy Wood Finish	Yoichi – Bourbon Wood Finish	Yoichi – Manzanilla Wood Finish
Single Malt	Single Malt	Single Malt	Single Malt

Yoichi – Moscatel Wood Finish	Yoichi – Rum Wood Finish	Yoichi – Sherry Wood Finish
Single Malt	Single Malt	Single Malt

DISTILLERY INFORMATION

Owned by	Nikka Whisky Co. Ltd
Founded in	1934
Founded by	Masataka Taketsuru
Number of Pot Stills	6
Number of Washbacks	10
Material	Stainless steel
Number of Warehouses	27
Warehouse Type	Dunnage
Number of Staff	25
Address	Kurokawacho 7-6, Yoichicho, Yoichi-gun, Hokkaido Prefecture 046-0003, Japan
Telephone	+81 0135-23-3111
Website	www.nikka.com
Social Media	Facebook, Instagram
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