Pappy Van Winkle may be the most sought after bourbon in the states, but in Japan there’s another whiskey that has achieved a similar icon status and now its coming to America.
Nikka Japanese Whisky recently announced the release of Nikka From The Barrel in the U.S. Earlier this month, the latest expression of Nikka’s skillful blending hit the shores and shelves of American retailers.
Nikka From The Barrel was created from a blend of more than 100 different batches of malt and grain whisky produced at Nikka’s Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. It’s aged in multiple types of ex-Bourbon barrels and puncheons, ex-sherry butts, refilled, recharred and remade hogsheads.
“Nikka From The Barrel is the best-selling expression outside of Japan,” says Hotaling & Co. president and CEO, Dennis Carr. “We are thrilled to bring this beloved whisky to the U.S. and look forward to seeing the cocktail creativity it inspires in bartenders across the country.”
Considered the founding father of Japanese whisky, Masataka Taketsuru opened his first distillery, Yoichi, in 1934. It’s located where the environs resembled Scotland’s coastal distilleries and direct coal distillation with small pot stills in homage to Scotland’s whisky production traditions Taketsuru studied. Nikka’s second distillery, Miyagikyo, opened in 1969. It is located in a river valley, thereby emulating the distilleries found in Scotland’s Speyside region. It employs indirect steam distillation and larger copper pot stills.
The iconic bottle, designed to reflect “a small block of whisky” is available nationwide for $65.
