Nikka Whisky: Single Malt Yoichi vs Single Malt Miyagikyo REVIEW
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ส.ค. 2021
- Nikka Whisky's Single Malt Yoichi and Single Malt Miyagikyo are their two representative single malts from the Yoichi and Miyagikyo distillery respectively. Once upon a time, there was a range of Yoichi and Miyagikyo aged malts including the 10, 12 and 15 year, and a Yoichi-only 20-year statement. Now they’re all gone, leaving just the no age statement versions.
The current no age statement Yoichi and Miyagikyo whiskies were released in Japan in 2015 and in Europe and the US in 2016 - a reformulation of the previous NAS versions.
How do they stack up? We put them head to head this whisky review on Kanpai Planet! As usual, expect lots of historic tidbits and other edutainment in true Kanpai Planet fashion.
Welcome to Kanpai Planet, bringing you the world of Japanese drinks direct from the heart of Tokyo.
IF YOU'RE NEW, SUBSCRIBE NOW! We want YOU to be a part of our growing community of Japanese drinks lovers! Kanpai!
Links to Kanapi Planet socials:
Twitter: / kanpaiplanet
Facebook: / kanpaiplanet
Instagram: / kanpaiplanet
LinkedIn: / kanpaiplanet
MERCH: shop.mactionplanet.com
----
#NikkaWhisky #Miyagikyo #Yoichi
![บุษบา - เมนทอล [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IGnWPokSEis/mqdefault.jpg)
You've watched the video... now which one do you prefer? Let me know in the comments, and if you haven't already please subscribe! Lots more to come from Kanpai Planet!
Thanks for highlighting 2 great Japanese distilleries I like a lot, especially Yoichi....And also for showing the distilleries as well, well done !
Thank you Greg!
Just bought the miyagikyo after sampling at a whiskey event. Already enjoying Yoichi looking forward to trying them side by side. Really enjoyed your review. First time watching channel will definitely be watching more👍
Thanks Robert for watching and commenting. Enjoy the drams! Please consider supporting Kanpai Planet at buymeacoffee.com/kanpaiplanet
Kanpai!
Love at first sip (and nose) with the Yoichi NAS! Cheers, Mac!
It's a great dram - one of the best at capturing that 'distiller's intent I discussed. Kanpai Ulan!
Fantastic video. I love both of those whiskys, but you put it into words I couldn’t find.
Thank you for your motivating comment! Please consider supporting Kanpai Planet at buymeacoff.ee/kanpaiplanet
Kanpai! 🥃🥃🥃
Hi Mac, I’ve now had the chance to compare these 2, the Yoichi and Miyagikyo current releases. Love them both. I am leaning towards the Yoichi more as it does remind me of my favourite smoky scotches. And I’m very impressed with the Black label Takasturu Pure Malt. I have also ordered a white label Pure Malt.Thanks to your reviews of these Nikka’s I now have a tasty Japanese section in my growing whisky collection. Cheers!
A lot of my friends prefer the Yoichi. For me, they are both great, with the Miyagikyo just edging it. Once you get your white label you can compare your Taketsuru Old vs New head-to-head with mine!: th-cam.com/video/NNQyqtfBAso/w-d-xo.html
Really honoured to be a part of your Japanese whisky journey!
Interesting background history on the whiskeys! Great video. Thanks.
Thanks a lot Tea Crane!
Awesome video! Informative and helpful
Glad it was helpful! Please consider supporting Kanpai Planet at buymeacoff.ee/kanpaiplanet
Kanpai! 🥃🥃
Excellent Mac. I've just finished writing my tasting notes for an upcoming review of the Yoichi and, as usual once I've done this, I'll turn to a trusted whiskytuber to hear their thoughts. Well, there's noone I trust more than you where Japanese whisky is concerned and I was delighted when we met on so many of the tasting notes. I find very little (if anything) to dislike about this whisky. Credit to Nikka...this is a gem. Perhaps (as you mentioned) it's my love of Springbank that makes this one stand out for me.
Great video buddy. Cheers.
Thanks Jim! I can think of little higher praise than that of a respected fellow WhiskyTuber colleague. Glad you enjoyed it and looking forward to your review. Kanpai! 🥃🥃🥃
Another amazing video. I have just reviewed the Miyagikyo myself, it is stunning. I am yet to try Yoichi, but I hope to soon.
I watched your Miyagikyo review. Good work. Hope you score a Yoichi soon!
Bought Yoichi and having a drink of it right now. It is so refreshing to have this whisky because the malted barley shines through so nice and the wood from the cask(s) comes through without much past ex-influences at all. Grateful I discovered Yoichi at a tasting bar and looking forward to trying more Japanese whiskies now!
I love the flavor a cask alone can impart on malted barley distillate 100%!
Keep working your way through our videos and you'll be sure to find some more things you'll love.
Share them with all your friends, and please consider supporting Kanpai Planet at buymeacoff.ee/kanpaiplanet
Kanpai! 🥃🙏🥃
@@KanpaiPlanet Sipping Miyagikyo right now and it is wonderful! Can't decide if Yoichi is better or not, as they have their own thing going for what I feel like at the time. I want to like the Yoichi more 'cause it is peatier, but I noticed just today the Miyagikyo has an alluring sulphur note. The malted barley distillate flavor(the most important aspect of whisky in my opinion) comes through so great in both that I love them the same. Kanpai!🥃
Fantastic! Glad you enjoy them both!
I'm here from the livestream you just did with Roy over at Aqvavitae. I have the Yoichi, but I haven't picked up the Miyagikyo yet. They cost $98 in the province of Québec, but they're likely a bit more affordable in other Canadian provinces. When I shot my Yoichi review back in winter, I was standing in a snowstorm. It might have uh... coloured my tasting notes. I always do a followup shoulder-pour review, so I'll see how it stands up then. I remember it had good character, but tasted a little young.
Oh: I subbed, by the way.
I might have to wait until a snowstorm here in Tokyo and do the same!
Great comments on the live chat. I've just checked out some of videos and subscribed. Kanpai!
Found your chanel by chance! Great review thank you! I love both of these Whisky's and always keep a bottle of each in my whisky cabinet. I prefer to drink the Yoichi on the rocks and the Miyagikyo with Soda (highball). It would be great if you could also review the Apple Brandy Wood Finish editions. I have both the Yoichi and Miyagikyo Apple Brandy Wood Finish versions and like them very much. I've also wanted to visit the Aloha Whisky Bar you use in your videos since i'm originally from Hawaii and have been living in Japan for about 8 years now. Looks like there's a great collection of Whisky's there! Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I'll add the Apple Brandy Editions to the pipeline. You definitely need to head to Aloha Whisky Bar, especially given your connections! Kanpai!
Catching up on your videos and this was well done and very informative. I have yet to try either of these as they are not distributed here in Oklahoma that I am aware of. I found them on The Whisky Exchange for about 90 USD each, just like you said. Cheers Mac and thanks and looking forward to many more videos.
Thank you very much Bill. If you keep watchin' 'em, I'll keep makin' 'em! Please share with all your friends!
Total wine Carrie’s both as of 06/21/22
Damn! I got that one wrong. You are going to send me back to the testing table and in search of that Miyagikyo smoke. Mellow and sophisticated like Paris compared to Scotland’s granite peat.
Both lovely drams and nice review, as usual. Cheers Mac!
For sure, they are great drams for a great price (for Japanese whisky)! Kanpai Jules!
I haven’t tried the Miyagikyo yet but I’m currently enjoying the Yoichi NAS a lot. It’s funny you mentioned the Springbank comparison on the nose because I totally get that and was just thinking that since SB 10 is so expensive now, this would be my new go to daily dram. Excellent head to head as always!
Thor - this comment makes me very happy! Really glad you get the Springbank too! Thanks for watching!
In Australia both the Nikkas are more expensive than the Springbank 12/13 year olds (Springbank 10 is generally unobtainable...it sells out faster than a Taylor Swift gig). I've lucked onto the Yoichi at discount prices a couple of times otherwise it would have been beyond my budget (it's about AU$155 here, which would get me a nice scotch and a few pints of good beer)
Great rewiew! Hukushu vs Yamazaki must be next :)
It's in the pipeline!
That was a big help thanks 👍🏼
Glad it helped. Please consider supporting Kanpai Planet at buymeacoff.ee/kanpaiplanet
Kanpai 🥃🥃🥃
Personally I go miyagikyo first, really great stuff, then yoichi second, but I'm not huge on the smoke/brine/menthol thing (I like a good lagavulin, but it's not my go to). But, the bread and butter warmth and comfort of the Coffey grain is forever etched in my brain. As much as I like the miyagikyo, Coffey grain is the thing I reach for when I want something that really makes me smile. Looking forward to trying the Coffey malt, that one might ruin me!
Hi Benjamin. I have a review of the Coffey Grain vs Coffey Malt on the channel if you want to learn more about what's in store for you when you get round to trying the Coffey Malt! th-cam.com/video/ePZ5pocBGq4/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for watching and commenting. Please subscribe for more! 🥃
The Single Malt Yoichi sounds to me like a predominantly Refill Ex-Bourbon matured Single Malt, made from peated malt rated at around 20-30 PPM?
The Single Malt Miyagikyo sounds like it's more biased towards Sherry Casks (?) with dry fruit and spicy notes. Those vanilla flavours you mentioned points to the Sherry casks being made from American White Oak, or the Sherry Casks are Refill and the minority percentage Ex-Bourbon barrels are First-Fill? Just an educated guess.
Regarding price, you are spot on! My friend in Tokyo just sent me a photo half an hour ago, and it shows the price of the Single malt Miyagikyo at exactly what you quoted!
4620 Yen (£28). That's about the price for a Glen Moray 12, Deanston Virgin Oak or Glenmorangie 10 here in Israel.
In Israel the Single malt Miyagikyo is selling for about 400 Shekel (£95).
In the UK, Single malt Miyagikyo is £79,
So 4620 YEN (£28) is incredibly cheap compared to the rest of the world. My friend also told me that if you spend more than 500 YEN then tourists get the TAX off?
Tax-free shopping for tourists is available subject to certain conditions.
I liked the Yoichi better because it had different elements to scotch that I could tell separated it as a Japanese whisky, whereas the Miyagikyo felt more similar to scotch to me and not 'different enough' if that makes sense.
Great review Mack!
Fair play! That's a great reason to enjoy the Yoichi which transcends the Peated / Non-Peated divide. Glad you enjoyed the video! Kanpai! 🥃🥃🥃
Great review! I’m now looking forward to get back to Japan just to purchase some of their whisky selections that are too expensive in US or even unavailable all together. Kanpai!🥃
Hopefully by the time you get here stocks will be a little more normalized too! Kanpai!
@@KanpaiPlanet I just managed to get my grubby sausages on the Miyagikio and the Taketsuru Pure Malt. I’m still hunting for the Yoichi. So far I have to give it to Taketsuru in comparison to Miyagikio. For some reason Miyagikio is a bit bitter on the palate. But that’s a neck pour. Will keep at it till it’s half empty. Then draw some conclusions. 🥃
New Taketsuru vs Miyagikyo is an interesting comparison. The Taketsuru is certainly a smoother, easier drinker. I'm looking forward to your impressions as you get more familiar with it. I have a feeling it will grow on you!
Omg!! I didn’t know about the Kagoshima thing 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Exciting times ahead my friend!
Nice! I also prefer Miyagikyo as well. I like the old version (white label and only 500ml bottling) a lot better tho. Great video again!
Thank you very much James. I prefered the Old NAS Miya to the Old NAS Yochi by some margin, but I prefer the new one. I wish we could be debating which age statements were better!
The Miyagikyo in my area sells for $71 USD and that is the retail price. Not sure on it though. Seems like a good $40 dram.
Hi Dean. The premium that is charged overseas always takes a reasonably priced Japanese dram into luxury territory. It is a nice drop so if you're willing to stretch for it I think you'll enjoy it. However, there is plenty of other great stuff out there for $70. Enjoy, and Kanpai!
I had a sample of both in a whisky calendar, really liked Yoichi, not so much the other...
Glad you enjoyed the Yoichi! It's a top dram! Thank to for watching and commenting!
Love the yoichi! When people ask me about them I say miyagikyo is more like (yamazaki) and yoichi is more like (hakushu) hopefully I'll pick up an aged statement yoichi!
Hi Mark. You're spot on about the correspondence between the Nikka and Suntory whiskies! Thanks for watching!
@@KanpaiPlanet hope to have a dram at the aloha bar when Japan opens back up!
Kanpai my friend!
Ha ha! So many times I made this comparison myself. In the beginning Miyagikyo was my favorite but later on Yoichi came out as the winner. It is still one of the best Japanese whisky’s for me
As you can see, it's pretty close! I hope the video conveyed that! Thanks always for watching and commeting.
@@KanpaiPlanet Great video as always Mac. Take care
OK so after getting both of these bottles and enjoying them very much am thinking about the next Japanese Whisky to try. Thinking about Yamazaki and Hakushu distillers reserve ? These appear to be the Suntori equivalent of these bottles ? Hoping you will do a Suntori vs Nikka single malt NAS head to head video. As Suntori still have age statment single malt releases I can't help but wonder if the Nikka NAS releases contain more old casks in the mix ? Any thoughts on the quality of the Suntori vs Nikka would be great. Thanks
Excellent question. Each of Yamazaki, Yoichi, Miyagikyo and Hakushu have their own distinctive profile. You'll have your preference just like I have mine. You should definitely get the Distiller's Reserves and check them out. Really glad you enjoyed the Yoichi and Miyagikyo. I'll add the video idea to the pipeline!
After watching your very entertaining review from August 2021, I noticed that my good mate Ralfy has a review from February 2016 of the Nikka Single Malt Miyagikyo.
In it, he makes a comment that, in his opinion, the cask maturation is very much Ex-Sherry dominant with raisins and dried fruits and then says that it tastes as if the cooperages have used Sherry syrup (as opposed to seasoning Sherry) to season or enhance the seasoning of the Casks. Do you have any knowledge of this practice of using syrups like Paxarette or Arrope going on in Japan?
Is there a large cooperage industry in Japan and do they rejuvenate and re-season casks for the Whisky industry?
As always with the big players, disclosure is our enemy. However, In Japan, we import empty casks so Paxarette or Arrope-use is unlikely.
I wouldn't describe the cooperage industry as large by any means, but it exists. Ariake Sangyo are well-known for their recharred casks. Re-seasoning would take place in house if it took place at all.
So much geeky information on both MiyaGEEKio (excuse the pun) and Yoichi! So would you say that either of those is a typical Japanese whisky? Wonderfully done and thank you!
Great question. In many ways, by definition, they are both very typical Japanese whiskies, given that they are the representative products showcasing what two of Japan's first three still-functioning distilleries can produce.
P.S> MiyaGEEKyo: I'm stealing that!
@@KanpaiPlanet ☺️👍
🙌🥃
so has anyone tried the travel exclusive version of these? 10k jpy is double of the RRP
I'll be reviewing them at some point this year!
@@KanpaiPlanet thank you for the reply. Looking forward for your review. Hopefully you get them before June as I will be going to Tokyo in June.😁 Has to plan my purchase as Australia only allows 3 bottles to be brought back and I want to buy sake as well
Working on it! 🥃🥃🥃
Are these still about 4500円? What's the going rate for the Hakushu 18? Is there a good resource that you recommend for the going rate of Japanese whisky in Japan?
Felt lucky to find the Yoichi at $80 here in Southern California recently. Most places have it for more like $130, if at all.
I regret not getting into whisky while I lived in Japan a few years ago! I plan on moving back in the next few years and I'm wondering what to expect.
Hi Coldy. They are still at that RRP. Hakushu 18 RRP is ¥27500 after tax. The closest you will find it to that price is the ¥50000 airport limited editions, which I mentioned in this review of Yamazaki 18: th-cam.com/video/uTRFRfNx52A/w-d-xo.html. Re: whisky pricing... it just involves a lot of digging around. Good luck, and Kanpai!
BTW, we're almost at 3000 subscribers! If you can help by sharing these videos with all your friends, I'd appreciate it!
Hey Mac, have you tried the Miyagikyo Grande and Yoichi Grande?
I have, and in planning to make a video about them this year! Stay tuned!
@@KanpaiPlanet looking forward to it!
I hope some Olympic athletes could purchase some Japanese whiskey with the help of KANPAI PLANET’s recommendation.
Or. I hope they will be back to Japan to taste Japanese cuisine and Japanese whiskey in the near future ! I hope the day we can do KANPAI with foreign clients would come soon.
Maybe some gold medalists are fans of the channel! Thanks for watching. Kanpai!
Bought a bottle to try it, i think it’s very good.
Hi Corrado. Which one did you get? Both a great choice, so glad you enjoyed your drams. Kanpai!
Got the yoichi
Enjoy, and Kanpai!
both are at $90+ in the US now.
🥃🥃🥃
Watching, wondering if chilli whisky is a thing.
Whisky Chili is a thing. You could infuse your own chili whisky and make it a thing!
So either will cost me $99 in the US. Anything from Japan that money would be better be spent on?
Thank you for your comment. Without knowing the price of the alternatives I won't be able to comment very well. If there is something around that price point that I have reviewed, check out the video and you can decide which profile of whisky you prefer. Kanpai!
@@KanpaiPlanet Thanks. Thought about that after I hit the send button. Imported whiskey price increases in the US aren’t the same across all whiskies. Depends on how badly they think someone will want it… Only bottle of Japanese whiskey I currently have is an unopened 12 year Taketsuru I purchased in 2013. With their new move toward transparency, I wanted to give Japanese whiskey another try. Don’t normally buy things without an age statement, but hoping those will continue to come back.
I have seen some egregious pricing in the US. Makes my stomach churn and I'm not even buying anything there!
I prefer Yoichi. According to a bartender, Nikka will release 12 years in around 2020 or so.
Let's hope that will happen soon! Thank you for watching!
Miyagikyo is $100USD in California
🥃🥃🥃