If you know Nikka Whisky only as the producer of the extraordinarily cheap peatless Black that fills the nether regions of Japan's whisky market, you might be surprised to learn that the company makes around 40 other styles — and one of them has just been voted the best single malt in the world.
At the World Whisky Awards (WWA) in Glasgow, Scotland, last month, a panel of 16 connoisseurs blind tasted over 200 contenders and awarded the top accolade to Nikka's Yoichi 20 Years Old, a peaty malt distilled on the western coast of Hokkaido. The judges described the winning drink as "a dense Dr Pepper or Vimto with an aroma that explodes with water," "an amazing mix of big smoke and sweet black currant" and "liquid dessert."
Naofumi Kamiguchi, spokesperson for Nikka Whisky, called the award "the greatest we've ever received," and attributed the success in part to Yoichi's coal-fired stills, a traditional method that even Scotch-makers have abandoned in favor of more efficient steam- or oil-fired stills. He also credits Whisky Magazine, the British publication that organized the awards.