NEWS
GLOBAL RELEASE OF 10YO YOICHI: JAPANESE WHISKIES WITH AGE STATEMENT ARE RETURNING
By Siulan Law Mathews DipWSET
2-5-2023
Source: Nikka
Japan’s second biggest whisky producer Nikka announced that it is bringing back the Yoichi Single Malt 10-Year-Old label to the global market, after having suspended it in 2015 amid severe shortage of aged spirits.
The label won Whisky Magazine's “Best of the Best” award in 2001, the global release has a suggested retail price of USD175.
Having increased production by 20 percent in 2019, Nikka first brought back the Yoichi Single Malt 10-YO to the domestic Japanese market last year.
The company, which owns the Yoichi and the Miyagikyo Distillery in Japan, also announced plans to surpass its 1983 production peak by the year 2025.
Over the past decade, Japanese whisky exploded in popularity and age statements disappeared from labels due to demand outpacing supply.
Major distilleries began releasing non-age statement expressions to keep the shipments flowing.
Nikka first suspended its 10, 12, and 15YO age statements for Yoichi in 2015. Then in 2019, it removed the 17, 21 and 25YO age statements from its Taketsuru Pure Malt, a blend of malt whisky from different distilleries.
Nikka said the return of the 10YO Yoichi age statement commemorate the designation of the Yoichi Distillery as “Important Cultural Properties” of Japan.
“This designation helps ensure we will pass on the history of Japanese whisky to future generations,” said global marketing and sales general manager, Emiko Kaji, in a statement.
“To celebrate this special honour, we welcomed the return of Nikka Whisky aged statements and released the Yoichi Single Malt 10YO, a new expression created by the current blenders,” he added.
The Yoichi Distllery is located on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan. It first opened its doors in 1934, and was declared one of the nation’s “Important Cultural Properties” by the Japanese government last year.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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