For the next stop in this little, completely casual, dip into world whisky, I am off to Japan. Today, I will review Nikka’s Miyagikyo Single Malt, the flagship non-age stated expression from the distillery. It also gives me a chance to reflect on why many whisky drinkers are avoiding Japan, and if those reasons still hold true in 2025.
TL:DR: A great entry-level expression – clean, fruity and floral
Score*: 6.5, Good stuff and close to very good
Avoiding Japanese whisky
Before I jump forward to review the Miyagikyo Single Malt, I need to make a confession. I have been mostly avoiding Japanese whisky. And it comes down to two reasons: lack of transparency and pricing. I am in no way an expert, and I make these comments as someone whose casual curiosity for the malts of Japan has been very limited due to these issues. (If you are interested in learning more about Japanese whisky, I would have a look at Kanpei Planet’s YouTube Channel.)
The transparency issue
Japanese whisky may have captivated enthusiasts with its quality and elegance. But, beneath the surface, many have grown frustrated with its historical lack of transparency. Until recently, there were no binding regulations defining what could be labelled as “Japanese whisky”. This allowed some producers to use imported spirit—often from Scotland or Canada—while packaging it with Japanese branding and imagery.
This practice, though legal, left consumers unknowingly paying premium prices for whiskies that had little or no connection to Japan beyond bottling. The result was a credibility gap. While many famous distilleries maintained high standards and authenticity, others exploited the ambiguity, undermining trust in the category. Although new labelling guidelines introduced in 2021 aim to correct this, they remain voluntary. Today, many bottles still lack clear information on origin, ingredients, or maturation.
… and the pricing one
And then there is pricing. While some of it is explainable as an effect of export costs, import taxes and the like, it is only part of the story. A big part of the reason seems to be related to the limited production and the boom in Japanese whisky demand since the early 2010s. Japanese whisky’s fame exploded after winning prestigious awards. Considering Japan’s commitment to quality and ageing, it will take a while for stocks to increase. Until the day Japanese whisky stock catches up with the demand, I doubt we will see much change in this situation.
Nikka’s Miyagikyo distillery
Before I jump into the actual review of the Miyagikyo single Malt, I think a few dettails are useful to put things into frame. Tucked away in the misty hills of Sendai, the Miyagikyo Distillery was founded in 1969 by Masataka Taketsuru. The father of Japanese whisky decided to found the distillery to provide a contrast to the bold, peaty style of his original Yoichi distillery. The distillery produces approximately 3 million litres of whisky per year using both pot stills (8 in total) and the traditional Coffey stills.
Miyagikyo is known for producing delicate, floral single malts with notes of orchard fruit, gentle spice, and a silky texture. This is achieved through tall, narrow-necked pot stills, aimed at creating a high level of reflux and yield a gentler spirit and long fermentations. While the distillery is most famous for its single malts, its spirit is a key component of the Nikka Taketsuru blend.
Nikka Miyagikio Single Malt
Specs
Price paid: €59.90 (on offer)
Lot: 6/14C361505
ABV: 45%
Natural colour: No
Non-chill filtered: No
Casks Used: mostly ex-Sherry, with some ex-Bourbon
Tasting Notes
Colour: Deep gold (but then, it is caramel coloured so take it for what that’s worth)
Nose: The main character is fruity and floral with a hint of spice and some very light char. White meadow flowers, apple, pear, banana, a touch of lemon and vanilla. There is a little ginger, charcoal smoke (clearly different from peat) and a little sulfury rubber. As it opens up, I get a little liquorice, malted barley, honey & beeswax
Taste: A bit thin and slightly hot for its 45%, though not terribly so. And yet it is quite flavourful. The sweetness of barley sugar hits first, then tangerine, pear, banana, a little milk chocolate, ginger and again, just a wiff of charcoal smoke.
The finish is short to medium, with a strong banana note, liquorice, oak and some refreshing lemon oil notes.
Score*: 6.5/10
The Miyagikyo Single Malt flagship release in this review is a solid and very well-executed dram. It is not the most complex whisky you will try, but the world precise seems appropriate to describe its aromas and flavours. The weak mouthfeel and simple finish are the reasons why the score isn’t higher. It is still a good dram by any means, even if it does add caramel colour and chill-filtration.
Considering a significant part of this blog has been dedicated to entry-level whiskies, I would be remiss not to mention that this Miyagikyo seems the perfect beginner dram. It is relatively straightforward, with clean notes easily distinguishable even with just a little practice. At the same time, it is anything but plain, but has enough character to keep a new drinker engaged and stimulate more curiosity. Rather than any of the three famous Glens, I would grab this one to introduce a newcomer to whisky.
There is one problem, though, and that is one I mentioned before – Price. I was lucky to find this at a discount (€60), but the normal price in Europe is between €70 and €80. At that price, you start getting into the territory of some very solid regular release 15 year olds. Think Glencadam, Glen Scotia or Benromach. And you get into a price range which beginners are very unlikely to want to invest in a bottle. So, while the transparency of Japanese whisky is hopefully improving, until prices get better, this will remain a very occasional purchase for me.
* Scores are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
Interested in my take on a specific whisky style? Check the full Journey here and jump to the relevant Chapter.
After writing my tasting notes, I always find it interesting to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of Nikka Miyagikio I enjoyed:
Words of Whisky
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