Nikka The Grain Discovery

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

Special Features:

Nikka The Grain Discovery is the third and final release in the Discovery series, issued in 2023. This blended grain whisky brings together seven grain styles from Nishinomiya, Miyagikyo, Moji and Satsuma Tsukasa. Older Coffey Grain and Coffey Malt stocks meet new grain distillates from two sites best known for producing shochu.

The Coffey components from Nishinomiya and Miyagikyo include grain whisky made from corn and malted barley, as well as Coffey Malt made entirely from malted barley. Moji and Satsuma Tsukasa contribute pot-distilled grain styles using malted and unmalted barley, corn and rye. Some of the oldest distillates used date back to 1988; maturation includes new American oak casks.

Combining these different grain styles brings sweet, toasted cereal notes together with rye-driven freshness. The whisky is bottled at 48% without chill filtration or added colouring. Allocations of 10,000 bottles each were planned for Japan and export markets. The four rows of the chequered pattern on the label represent the four production sites involved.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Beeswax, verbena and chamomile initially mingle with pineapple and mirabelle plum. The nose then opens up to vanilla, delicate toasted notes and a more pronounced cereal aroma.
• Palate: The opening is creamy and lively, with almond milk, coconut milk and vanilla. The mid-palate remains slender and reveals a delicate liquorice note, before cinnamon and ginger bring the palate to a gently spicy close.
• Finish: The balanced finish is creamy and initially echoes the cereal and herbal notes of the nose with vigour. Mint, acacia honey and intense floral notes of broom and mimosa alternate in the lingering aftertaste.

Distillery/Bottler:

Nikka’s grain whisky history reaches back to Masataka Taketsuru’s training in Scotland: in 1919, he learned about distillation using Coffey stills at James Calder. He established the Yoichi distillery on Hokkaido in 1934, followed by Miyagikyo near Sendai in 1969.

In 1963, Nikka installed Coffey stills for grain whisky production at Nishinomiya and relocated them to Miyagikyo in 1999. The 2023 Discovery release marked the 60th anniversary of their introduction. It combines longstanding experience in continuous distillation with newer grain styles, for whose development Nikka also uses techniques from shochu production.

Facts: