whisky review 573 - Nikka Miyagikyo single malt
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.พ. 2016
- . . . a typical, quality affordable (sort-of) Japanese single malt worth exploring.
you can buy me a 'wee dram' at / ralfy
Bonneville 2016 World Records - saltywheels.blogspot.com
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Just tried the 2022 version…this is very pleasant with some sherry and spice, with some light earthy notes and a lingering finish! This is wow stuff!
Nose (with water): fruity, raisin, fresh fruit, sherry, vanilla, brown sugar, honey, coffee, chocolate, treacle toffee, solventy Mouth (with water): nutty, walnuts, almonds, mixed nuts, fresh fizzing fruit, apricot sweets, cough sweet, throat lozenge, menthol, honey, lime juice, jasmine tea, oak Mark: 85
Watching this now in 2021... Was in Japan in 2014. Wanted to bring a whisky home as a gift for my folks. Didn't know a thing about whisky then. Came home with a cheap Suntory Yellow Label. Could have bought a Yoichi 15 which cost around 1000 Euros now ... >
Rally this has been one of your most excellently explained review. Cheerio!
When are you going to review that can of haggis? That would be an interesting video
Very interesting review Ralfy. You got it for me in an nutshell, Japanese whisky just isn't worth the sort of money they charge for it these days. I will stick to scotch and Irish whiskey.
Japanese whisky is amazing for home blending. Toki deserves more hype for this. I use it all the time as a blend filler
Just came across your channel after watching your brother's site for years. Enjoying these thoroughly, sadly they make me a wee bit thirsty...at 9am on a Sunday ;)
Great review Ralfy! I just tried a Miyagikio NAS at 45% I understand what you meant about it being engineered. I have to admit that I liked it: sweet, fruity, sugar sweet, with no unpleasant notes whatsoever. The finish was a bit short. Almost too well made to be memorable...
I've always really enjoyed the packaging on the Nikka from the barrel bottle!
Didn't know you were so into bikes, I really liked that analogy.
Have you dabbled in Sake at all Ralfy? It is my favourite alcohol, with whiskey being right up there in second.
I waited until this evening to share a Nikka Miyagikyo single malt with you but it looks like mine is a bit different. Bought in the US, it is 75cl - 12 year old - 45% ABV. I liked it so much when I bought it, I did get a second bottle. It has some of the characteristics that you mentioned here but amped up.
Very nice Ralfy, I love my Nikka from the Barrel so I will try this. Being an Aussie, my ears pricked up when I heard you say Tasmanian Whiskies!! Will you be reviewing any in your International series?
Cheers Gregg.
+FishplateFilms . . . no plans for further reviews from Taz as the prices are too expensive.
+ralfystuff I hear you Sir! Thanks Ralfy :-)
hey, i had this one at a bar some months ago. Didnt know which one it was because of the label (just pointed at the bottle and ordered 2 glasses to try). I was pleasantly surprised, for a whisky in a regular bar i liked it a lot. Now i know which one it was, thx :)
I just don't feel the need to go out of Scotland for my single malt whisky. So many great one's left to try and at nearly 63 years old I'm afraid I'll run out of time before I run out of Scotch. Be well Ralfy!
The Scots have a thing or two to learn from the Japanese. Honestly in a different league in my opinion.
Are they Lindt chocolate wrappers you're using for the malt marks, Ralfy? I'd like to see you review some of that.
Yes, Japanese whisky prices are gone absolutely crazy. Nice review, I like Miyagikyo (I had a chance to taste a 10yo recently and this Nas), but I prefer Yoichi a lot more.
In fact I managed to get a Yoichi 10yo before it became unavailable; I love it, it's basically what I like (peaty but not too much, sherry, sweet, somewhat coastal and it feels like it's a kind of "best of" mix of scotch whiskies, without being a blend).
I also tried the 15yo, I found it surprisingly more peaty than the 10yo but less balanced.. and quite frankly, I've never came across a bottle to buy (and even if I did, I guess the price would have made me buy more 10yo than a single bottle of 15 xD).
Speaking of NAS.. yes, Nikka From The Barrel is rather good, a pretty blend of Miya and Yoichi.. I don't know about Ben Nevis; so far I could taste a 17yo (ex sherry, cask strenght unchillfiltered and uncolored) from an italian indipendent bottler (Valinch & Mallet) it was very good, but I haven't managed to have any guess of it in the Nikka FTB (although the next time I'll sip the Nikka FTB I'll spend some time looking for it ;)).
Ralfy,I really enjoy your reviews but I was wondering if you have any outakes that might give your fans a chuckle
Hey Ralfy, have you tried the Suntory Hibiki Harmony yet? It doesn't have an age statement, but I think it's fantastic. It's also fairly cheap as far as Japanese whisky goes ($65 USD). Take that as you will. ^_^
I didn´t see a review of the Nikka from the barrel yet. Personaly I think it is an amazing blend. Looking forward to hear your thoughts Ralfy.
For those who couldnt see the label..the second botlle after "Yamazaki 12"was ""Nikka from the Barrel", 51.4% vol, 50cl, many "batches", and really decent, avaliable and (relatively) affordable whisky.
Ralfy, I understand why you would ignore Japanese for a while, but please keep in mind that other whiskies are not that cheap either... Sure, I can get a 10 yr old Glen Deveron here in NL for just a bit more than 20 euros (no idea if it's any good), but in general I'm easily paying 40 euro for a 70cl 10yr old. The beloved10 yr old Benromach is for instance around 45. Not to mention their Organic, which is really lovely, but at 50 euros a bit too crazy for something that non-complicated.
The Nikka from the barrel is a very good deal still. I kind of hope that you will make an exception for it since you have it already there...
The Nikki Miyagikyo single malt that I have is Age stated at 12 years old.
I have enjoyed many of the Nikka and Suntory lines in several ages. The flavors and composition is amazing as well as disappointing at the same time. Ralfy has hit the nail on the head and his analogy to motorbikes is apt. I will have at least one in my bar at all times because it is GOOD whisky. I will not collect them because they don't seem special.
Ralfy, great video as usual. I'm just making my way through your large back catalog and I don't see a review of that little bottle of Nikka From The Barrel you show towards the end of this one. I have just picked up a bottle of this myself, it is the first Japanese whisky I have bought and would love to see a review from you about it. Sláinte
I'm not very interested in whiskey myself, I'm more of a beer person. But I watch Ralfy's videos nonetheless, because I like his voice and personality! Very nice videos, keep them coming!
I'm doing research into Japanese Whisky at the moment. Your review has been helpful along with Kanpai Planet japanese Whisky review Channel.
. . . remember to research all the 'fake' Japanese whisky which contains whiskies from other countries so they can get a better product, but they never mention that. www.yoshu.or.jp/statistics_legal/legal/pdf/independence_07.pdf
Other than chichibu, this is my favourite Japanese whisky that is generally available. Nikka owns this and Youchi. I may not necessarily view them as non-big-corporate.
Buy it then hide it. Several decades later rediscover it, sell it, and earned a big fat profit from it. :D
Also reminds me very much of Glen Scotia Victoriana 2021/2022 with lingering sweetness/finish.
I was a bit concerned at the start of this video you would be reviewing more NAS Japanese whisky. Would you consider doing a mini series on single grain scotch whiskys Ralfy ?
I have experienced Japanese whisky and my limited impression is the same as yours. They do appear to be over engineered. Like you one time said, Japanese art is very precise. Whisky is an art, by Turner, real art in Scotland.
+Martin Collmer There's some fabulously colorful, wild, and experimental stuff being made in Japan, but it's unfortunately often hard to come by, even within the country itself. (In the odd chance the opportunity arises, I'd highly recommend anything from the now-defunct Karuizawa, and anything Ichiro's Malts, or Usuikyou, which is the most flavorful whisky I've ever had, for better and definitely for worse). The big brands that sell international are the equivalents of your Macallan and Glenfiddich, on the whole: safe, predictable, and in my opinion overpriced. The Yoichi line was a great deal at least within Japan, but that's gone on hiatus and got price-jacked too (worth trying the 15 or 20 if you find one in a bar though). Basically, it's nice that there's more to Japanese whisky, but in realistic terms, it's just not widely available, so it won't affect what most people will be able to get. Definitely agree on what you'll typically find abroad.
This friday I bought 2 Nikka (Coffey Malt and the Taketsuru 17 years) and the Hakushu 12 years... my god, compared to the prices I paid 2-3 years ago, they went ballistic ! Yamazaki... unaffordable, tripled their prices at least; the Hakushu 18 years I rather liked... bye bye, way too expensive almost 400 euros; the Oyshi 20 years I offered to a friend 2 years ago... has also doubled its price. A sad note from Belgium :(
Steady as we go is good advise.
that is the new standard, yougurt comapnies started doing it since 2009
FYI, the 500ml bottle of Miyagikyo nas has been changed as standard bottle of 700ml since 2015, with price around 4000yen, the same change happen in yoichi nas also.
Japanese whiskey bottles are beautiful art. I have not had this one, or a Japanese single malt at all. I had the Nikka pure malt and it was wonderful. But what I notice, besides the high price, is that the Japanese whiskies I have tried, are just very good copies of Scotch. And for my money, I'll stick with the Dewars blended and Laphroaig 10 for my go to single malt. They may be masters of imitation, but they cant copy an Islay scotch. I'm a novice in the scotch world, but came to the exact same conclusion you did; These are very nicely done whiskies, but the originality and soul is lacking. They are not distinct and as individual as a lot of single malt scotches in the way that when you taste a Laphroaig you say; Ohhh that's Laphroaig! Again I find myself using the word "imitation" and "Copy". Anyway. Cheers Ralfy!
I live in Japan. The price of whiskey jumped last year by about 30% for a few reasons. One, there was a boom in sales caused by the popularity of a TV period drama about the man who brought the drink to Japan. Also, the winning of international prizes raised the profile of whiskey here.
This lead to a scarcity in aged supplies, meaning some new NAS releases and the aforementioned price rise. Bummer, because the stuff is delicious. My personal favourite is Hibiki 12, which I used to get for less than 5,000 yen, and now is hard to find for less than 7,000.
Thanks Ralfy for the review. I've been seeing the Yamazaki 18 being praised and getting more and more expensive but never tried it. Have you reviewed that one, or have thoughts to share?
+Björn Edström . . . a good whisky with gaps in the flavour.
+ralfystuff Aye Ralfy, I've some Nikka Miyagikyo in the collection me thinks that Grainy note maybe some green malt in the mashbill.
Also, what's your take regarding Paxarette, I would surmise that this offering has some albeit discreet.
Slàinte ! Franky
I can tell Ralfy is getting a little peeved at the over inflated prices of international Whisky :)
+mzry . . . your right, ALL quality spirits are now getting funny-money due to demand and price-toleration.
+mzry Imagine living in a country where pretty much all good whiskies are imported. It's killing me.
+ralfystuff I was amazed at price of springbank. 10 year old springbank almost as much as 17 year old glenfarclas
+Socra Tease Shopping around I find sometimes 30-40% price difference between shops on the same whisky.
+mzry You should see what it's like here in Australia... 90 dollars just for a bottle of Knob Creek Bourbon. the single barrel version is $108
Have you tried Balcones Distilling Texas Single Malt? It's an American single malt made from malted corn.
Ralfy,do you do sometimes blind degustation? If yes ,what is your "score" ?
Hi Ralfy, have you ever tried DYC. It's a Scotch inspired Spanish whisky with a pretty interesting story. They have their basic blend of course along with an 8 year old blend. They also produce a pretty tasty malt blend and a 10 year old single malt. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried these whisky because they're all so affordable. The single malt for example is only 15 euros and they have some interesting flavours. Just wanted to see if you had an opinion. Keep up the good work
I've found pretty much every Japanese whisky I've tried to be almost "too perfect" and a bit boring because of it, very clean and like you said over engineered, that said it's now all so expensive I've not had any for about 18 months.
How would you describe the loyalty of consumers nikka ?
Ralfy, I'd love to see you perhaps touring a Japanese distillery like Suntory.
Thanks for the video Ralfy, still haven't tried any non Irish/US/Scottish whiskeys, would love to try a japanese one but the price keeps putting me off.
I'd love to try the Yoichi 15 but it is 240 euros right now... that's about 5 bottles of Lagavulin 16 so I guess I'll pass ;)
In your video you mention not to store whiskey on its side. Why may I ask? Do you have a reference video I could go to?
Cork might leak, whisky corks are not as tight as wine corks
+HASECO1 Also, because the alcohol content of whisky is much higher than that of wine, it's much more likely to leach flavors out of the cork as well as out of any glue used to hold the cork to the plastic cap, etc. etc.
Sainsbury's have the price per litre under the normal price. Those three Glenfiddich sample gift sets (3 x 50ml bottles) are about £73 per litre.
Have you ever reviewed an Aberfeldy? I couldn't find a review.
+Colin Stacey Whisky review 184 1/2 - Aberfeldy 1989/2007 Gordon&Macphail (C.C.)
Also it's bottled at 45%. I purchased mine at Costco in Los Angeles thank you for your review.
+HASECO1 That's the one I have too.
+HASECO1 If I encounter a bottle of whisky at one of my favourite shops which I'm smitten with I'll buy three providing they're not Himalayan prices. One to enjoy now with friends and the other two I'll wrap in Aluminium foil akin to the wine tasters and put them in my cellar for who knows how long. I'll even forgo additional upcoming purchases for awhile, there's always something else in the future. The opened one I use an inert gas blanket since I don't know when my mates and I may return to it, maybe months or years. Whisky is also a sesaonal thing at least for me, Spring & Summer not that keen more cocktails and beer.
I'm just happy I bought my Japanese whisky stocks by the case many years ago. The prices today are shocking.
So cool, there's a can that says ''haggis'' on the shelf in the background.
Japanese Whisky are my 2nd favorite, behind Scotch and above American Bourbon's. That is my top three.
Ralfy - a trip to Japan seems in order. The whisky is cheaper than water there, most decent bottles hover around 3-4000 yen. A (very expensive) 10000 yen bottle will easily fetch 5 times the price as soon as you arrive back home. Might even pay for your flight.
+Ben Pearce Holy crap really? That's amazing!
so i decided to look up how much a yoichi 15 year costs
£700+
and the 10 year is at £500+
It might be cheaper to go on holiday over to Hokkaido and buy the whisky there...
. . . When I first bought it it was £85
Ralfy, has any scotch you reviewed over the years ever scored a prefect 100?
+Charles Manning
Nope, nothing over 95. (Mortlach 19 y.o. (Signatory cask))
Ralfy, do you plan to review Kavalan? The Solist is a whizzbanger and is difficult to obtain now.
Noel Moitra
+NOEL MOITRA
Whisky review #384.
I've tried quite a few Irish whiskies as of late, and would like to try something new. What is personally you'r favorite Irish whisky? Cheers!
+Jalbert1995 Highest scoring Irish whiskies are:
122 - Sainsbury's Single Malt Irish Whiskey 90
125 - Tyrconnell 15yo single cask Whiskey 91
545 - Jameson Gold Reserve whiskey 91
Not sure they are his favs :-)
Thank you for the Japanese whiskey review. Living in Japan I find it hard to buy Japanese whiskey myself. Quality scotch single malt whiskey sells for the less then Japanese, non age-statement, 500ml bottles. Very frustrating to be honest. About 7 years ago when I first came to Japan, the 12yr Yamazaki was under $25 American. Now its nearly $80+ at some stores. Splurged on a non age-statement yoichi, it was very tasty indeed. I figure, before I return home I should drink quality Japanese whiskey now, the price is double back home. Have you tried the Nikka coffee still grain whiskey? There is a bottle for $50 at the local super market, wondering if its worth it to have a taste? Thanks for the review and I totally understand why you won't review any more this year. Maybe its time for some quality Chinese baijiu over the Chinese new year!
Ralfy, What is your opinion on the correct temperature for serving whisky?
I believe he drinks at room temperature.
Thank you for the feed back, I will continue to keep mine in the freezer.
Joe Bucci Smart ass lol
+Present Moment That's an unnecessary level of aggression. At ease, friend.
I hope you find treatment for your issue, whatever it is.
Ralfy. Why don't Scottish distilleries use casks made from local oak? Is there something wrong with British oak?
+Reb Mordechai . . . northern oak is sappy and resinous, Glengoyne tried it !
+ralfystuff I can second this. I recently bought a bottle of 16yr cask strength Glengoyne Scottish Oak finish. It was very astringent, bitter and way overpowered by the oak. Too much oak, and just not balanced at all.
I recently tried Bacardi 8 year old rum, on the advice of many people online, and was astonished by the quality. I hate Bacardi and haven't ever bought a bottle until last week. It's very surprising in it's quality for the price. It's not El Dorado, but I think you would be impressed by it, because it's Bacardi, and it's actually a sipping level spirit. Give it a try.
Good advice. Tried this last week. A bit iffy out of the bottle, but has hidden complexity. Give it time in the glass and as the bottle drops and it develops richer flavours. Just $49 in Australia and represents good quality for that price.
Its $31 Canadian, compared with $80 for Ron Zacapa, and $109 for El Dorado 21.
+Polyfusia I just picked me up a bottle of that as well last week, and you are absolutely right. For the price it was a great buy.
+Polyfusia $109!! Yikes. I'm glad I'm not where you are.
The el Dorado 21 is only $80 here in Nova Scotia and the 15 yo (which I love) is $50.
+Polyfusia It's a pity that they sweetened it. I think it would be even better without the 20g/L sugar...
I myself enjoy spirit in smaller bottle. I like that option, and I'm sad I can have this type of purchase so rarely. One reason being 0,5 or even 0,350-375 is well more than enough to try it. So if they don't decide to jack up price on the little one too much I'm happy and prefer to buy it, especially on whiskies I'm not sure of.
Hi Ralfy! Please try to review the new NAS Miyagikyo and Yoichi. The new ones are in 700ml bottles and have younger whiskey in them. This Miyagikyo you just reviewed has been discontinued.
In one of Ralfy's earlier reviews he shows how shaking a bottle can dertermine if the whisky is unchill-filtered. Anyone who can direct me to that video, please?
+Kurt Lund
I think that shaking was about the strength of the whisky. The more layers of bubbles the higher the proof.
I believe their skills show better in the Taketsuru line.
Ralfy= a brittish mr Miyagi
wax on - wax off
+Lars Nilsson "Danielsan...show me, paint the bothy!"
Scottish to be precise
Do Japanese whiskeys tend to be colored? What about chill filtered?
Thanks
. . .yes, coloured and chill-filtered.
What a shame.
This used to one of my favorite whiskies--Y1700 (@GBP10) for 500ml. This was very cheap for a single malt, and it tasted great. Unfortunately, it was discontinued last July. Now, all of the Japanese whiskies are either bad, overpriced, or both, and I've returned to mainly Scotch.
Yamazaki 18, beautiful stuff, the price however way over the top. However, having visited the distillery itself the workers there stated it's completely sold out, very difficult to find in Japan. Hence the stupid overpriced prices now
Agree with what is being said here. Japanese whisky is so hyped with inflated prices and just not worth it. But people continue to flock to it. Our whisky group is likely to be booked up for our Japanese tasting, despite other tastings being far more interesting. Oh well.
I like your style. Would love to see a Hibiki 17-year old review.
+SoftOtaku Doh! Maybe in 2017....
you should review the haggis up on the right
Did I miss the malt mark or was that the point?
+spankmeister Time:16:24. 85/100.
Reb Mordechai Thank you. :)
Bill Murray didn´t exactly look like he was impressed with japanese whisky in "Lost in Translation". Maybe the whisky improved over the years.
a long heavy finish would interfere with side-dishes having subtle flavors
I'm happy if I can add to a discussion... Ralfy your reviews are great, and I so much appreciate all of your videos. I hope I don't cause a hiccup when I mention this thought I've been having (a few times) when listening to reviews.
My thought is about the word "articulate." You are wonderfully articulate, but my intuition revolts when I hear a whisky described as articulate. I'm on Dictionary.com. Check out their definition of articulate. The closest I see is 4. expressed, formulated, or presented with clarity and effectiveness: "an articulate thought." or 5. made clear, distinct, and precise in relation to other parts: "an articulate form; an articulate shape; an articulate area." Your thoughts?
video about whisky and geographical location of Scotland would be great :)
Ralfy what is with the can /tin of haggis ? Your viewers are vey observant
+Gavin Brownlie . . . a tin of Grants Scottish haggis, our National Dish after the Curry !
I think there is more to his grain Fraudian slip than meets the eye,,: it's definitely Gita a grain sweetness to it
Nikka!
I agree, that is a perfectly decent whisky. Albeit a bit simplistic, and, yes, too engineered.
And again I agree, Yoichi 15yo is a damn fine dram!
A shame the prices have rocketed into the air, I refuse to pay that much for a whisky ... not that I can get it anymore here. :P
+Jens Boye Hansen and here's why:
www.nonjatta.com/2015/06/The-Nikka-Shock.html
Jep, I knows. Nikka is at least honest about _why_ they do it. And it's a perfectly valid reason.
Would you say that most of the Japanese whisky you've had are comparable to Dalmore with regard to their "engineered" character?
+ionz75 . . . different, Dalmore official bottlings are 'variable' to a much greater extent than Japanese whiskies.
Miyagikyo 12 is unbelievable, way better than this non age statement version, probably would score in the low 90's.
I just checked pricing and it's gone through the roof since I bought it a few years ago..
I love my hibiki 12 years! I saw Nikka 40 years in Japan lol wonder how that one taste like...
I would prefer 50 cl to be the standard size. This would reduce the risk of wasted money to a bad whisky. Furthermore, you could buy more different whiskies, if the unit price were lower.
+Orson206 . . . it would if the price was cheaper, but it's not. Your paying for a 70cl bottle and getting a 50cl bottle.
+ralfystuff That might be true...
+Orson206 S Korea might be the only country where you would be right. Blended Scotch as well as the Big 3 malts are all available in an array of sizes - for the reason that Koreans don't like offering liquor from an open bottle - you open in, you finish it( though changing now with younger Koreans) that said, now I'm starting to see 450ml bottles!!!
+ralfystuff Tinned haggis, Ralfy, what are you doing?! Yes, I've tried that very brand, and, although edible, it did nothing to encourage my love of haggis.
Nikka Coffee Grain and Nikka Coffee Malt are very nice! From The Barrell is beautiful too.
what about Yamazaki ???? didnt find it on channel. 12 years worth it.
+Max Max surely not the money.
Dunno, around 50$ here
oh I see, lucky you, i'd have to pay trice that.
+Cypeq i payed 100 euro last month.
My whisky for this review was a Highland Park 12 yo. Sláinte
I bought a bottle of Yoichi 15 y/o over a year ago for €90,-. out of curiosity I was looking for the price of a bottle if you were to buy it today, it turns out it is €250,-.
That's just becoming silly.
I wanted to purchase a bottle of Yamazaki 18 y/o about 1,5 years ago and it was unavailable. But the price was €120,- now I saw it for €495,-
Crazy
The end of Nikka (and, in all likelihood, Suntory) age-statemented Japanese whisky:
www.nonjatta.com/2015/06/The-Nikka-Shock.html
kinvie is even in 0.3 instead of 0.5 and pfff expensive dram... too bad indeed more and more are going to 0.5 instead of the 0.7 bottles
The comment about Japanese motorbikes is nothing but a personal preference, I have no connection to the Triumph brand and they don't feel special or have more character.
But give me an old Honda and thats the only bike that gives any special feeling.
It's all about your own perception and history or nostalgia with the brand.
For the love of god could they put a cork in these things?!
Did you not hear him. They get contaminated lmao
Sounds like its engineered at the molecular level. Instead of leaving it to the masters and chance.
hey Ralph. if I were to send you a bottle of bourbon (unopened) would you accept and make a review of it?
+Zachary Wagganer . . . I don't accept samples for review, it's easier that way !
NO SHAKEY SHAKEY
we do not tolerate whisky fascists here at ralfy
a quick stroll around the glass is all that's needed.
🗿📍📍📍📍