Nikka Nine Decades

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 48% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

For Nine Decades, Nikka brought together whiskies from the 1940s through to the 2020s: more than 50 selected batches from six production sites. The blend is built predominantly on malt whisky and includes a 1945 Yoichi malt, early stocks from Miyagikyo and malt from Scotland’s Ben Nevis Distillery. Grain whisky from Moji and Satsuma Tsukasa represents more recent chapters in the company’s history, while Coffey Grain and Coffey Malt bring the different characters together. This anniversary bottling therefore contains whisky from both Japan and Scotland.

Released in July 2024 to mark Nikka’s 90th anniversary, the edition comprises 4,000 bottles worldwide, with 964 allocated to Europe. Nikka bottles the blend at 48% without chill filtration. The engraved bottle comes in a wooden box with a book covering the nine decades. Signatures of past and present blenders inside the box honour the people behind the blend. Fruity sweetness, oak and restrained smoke and peat shape its character.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, apple pie and raisins mingle with toasted cask notes. Gentle smoke follows, along with an aroma reminiscent of old wooden furniture.
• Palate: On the palate, soft, deep oak underpins cinnamon spice, toasted nuts and dark chocolate. A delicate peaty bitterness contrasts with the sweetness of apricot jam and maple syrup, while the whisky feels warming.
• Finish: The finish is very long and full-bodied. Gentle peat accompanies sweet-and-tart notes that give way to a pleasant bitterness.

Distillery/Bottler:

Masataka Taketsuru founded the company that preceded Nikka Whisky in 1934 and established the Yoichi Distillery on Hokkaido. Miyagikyo became its second Japanese malt distillery in 1969, and Scotland’s Ben Nevis Distillery has belonged to Nikka since 1989. This history made it possible to bring together stocks of different origins and generations for Nine Decades. Nikka has been part of Asahi since 2001.

Nikka built the anniversary blend on a malt whisky base. Yoichi contributes peat and sweet cask notes, Miyagikyo brings fruity impressions, and Ben Nevis adds the character of Scottish malt. Coffey Grain and Coffey Malt provide a softer transition between these components, while the younger grain whiskies from Moji and Satsuma Tsukasa retain a distinct presence. Nikka’s blending team, led by Chief Blender Hiromi Ozaki, selected and balanced stocks of widely differing ages.

Facts: