Nikka Whisky celebrates the legendary Miyagikyo Distillery’s 50th anniversary by releasing two limited edition single malts. Single Malt Miyagikyo Limited Edition 2019 and Single Malt Yoichi Limited Edition 2019. Both expressions are composed of whiskies from the past five decades. In the case of the Miyagikyo expression, the single malt contains some of the very first whisky coming out of the distillery.
Miyagikyo Distillery founder Masataka Taketsuru, who is considered the Father of Japanese Whisky, tasted the first drop made in 1969 and pleased with its unique flavor profile. Miyagikyo, located near Sendai in Japan’s Miyagi prefecture, was the realization of Taketsuru’s second distillery – one that would be distinctive from his first, Yoichi, in Hokkaido.
While the Yoichi is located near the sea, producing peaty whiskies, Miyagikyo is surrounded by mountains and sandwiched between two fresh water rivers, providing excellent humidity and air quality conditions for soft and mild malt; it is also home to two Coffey stills. To reflect the distinctive environments of the two distilleries, each limited edition features a nod to its home – the background design of Yoichi denotes the sea, while the Miyagikyo expression is a nod to mountains.
Housed in frosted-black bottles, Single Malt Miyagikyo Limited Edition 2019 and Single Malt Yoichi Limited Edition 2019 each retail for $3,500 in the U.S. Only 70 bottles of each will available stateside.
