6
Expressions
6
With Tasting Notes
100%
Completeness
About
Taketsuru's second distillery, built in a forested valley where the Nikkawa and Hirose rivers meet. Uses indirect steam-heated stills to produce an elegant, fruity, floral malt -- deliberately contrasting with Yoichi's bold character. Also houses Coffey grain stills for Nikka Coffey Grain whisky.
Production Details
Owner
Nikka Whisky
Parent Company
Asahi Group Holdings
Status
Active
Founded
1969
Still Type
Pot
Stills
8
Capacity
3.5M LPA
Water Source
Nikkawa River and Hirose River confluence -- soft, mineral-rich water
Core Range2
Miyagikyo 10 Year Old (2025 Re-release)Core
10 Years45% ABV2025$80-100
American oak barrels and bourbon casks
4/4 Tasting
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Sight
Light gold, clear and bright with washi paper label design
Smell
Pure and light, lifted and lightly floral with lily, broom, fennel. Green apple, lemon and a hint of vanilla. Sweetly refined with an extra level of complexity, fruit and pine notes
Sip
Fruity and malty with distinctive vanilla notes. Medium-bodied and lively with silky soft fruits. Graceful and smooth with balanced oak
Savor
Broad finish with cedar and winey notes. Slightly bitter but sweet in balance. Clean and elegant
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Greengrocer: Fresh (green apple, lemon, soft fruits); Garden Path: lily, broom, floral; Forest Trail: fennel, pine; Furniture Maker: Wood (cedar, oak); Sweet Shop: vanilla; Bakery: malt
Miyagikyo Single Malt (NAS)Core
NAS45% ABV2016$80-130
Bourbon casks and sherry casks
4/4 Tasting
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Sight
Pale gold with light amber hues, clean and bright
Smell
Fruity and floral with white meadow flowers, apple, pear, banana, a touch of lemon and vanilla. Develops into malted barley, exotic fruit, liquorice and camphor. Sandalwood, red apple peel, jammy quinces with a whisper of floral notes, sultanas and lime
Sip
Malted barley at the heart, coated in herbaceous, liquorice, ginger, cinnamon and chocolate tones. Elegant mid-palate with peaches, pears, honeyed malt, pecan, dark chocolate, vanilla and caramel. Fresh tobacco leaves and coconut intertwine
Savor
Long and soft, evoking wilted roses, fine tannins balancing tangy lemon and grapefruit character. Lingering tobacco, cardamom, ginger, toasted nuts and stewed fruits. Subtle hint of smoke with vanilla and honey
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Greengrocer: Fresh (apple, pear, peach, lemon, banana, lime); Garden Path: meadow flowers, roses, floral; Bakery: malted barley, honeyed malt; Sweet Shop: vanilla, caramel, chocolate, honey; Tobacco Shop: tobacco leaves; Furniture Maker: Wood (sandalwood); Pub/Bar: liquorice, nuts (pecan, toasted nuts)
Limited / Special Releases4
Miyagikyo 50th Anniversary Limited Edition 2019
NAS48% ABV2019$3500
Multi-decade vatting: malt whiskies from 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s in sherry casks
4/4 Tasting
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Sight
Deep amber with rich mahogany tones, reflecting decades of sherry cask maturation
Smell
Sweetness from deep, long-matured sherry. Richness of pound cake. Herbal fragrance like lavender honey
Sip
Sherry-sweet body, soft depth of cask. Rich and mellow with layers from five decades of malt whisky
Savor
Bitter and sweet flavor, smoothness of cashews with a faint peaty trail. Exceptionally long and complex
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Pub/Bar: Wine (deep sherry); Bakery: pound cake; Garden Path: lavender, herbal; Sweet Shop: honey; Pub/Bar: Nuts (cashews); Smoke House: faint peat trail
Miyagikyo Apple Brandy Wood Finish 2020
NAS47% ABV2020$400-450
Initial aging in ex-sherry casks, finished 6 months in apple brandy casks aged 28+ years
4/4 Tasting
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Sight
Bright gold with warm amber highlights from apple brandy cask finish
Smell
Full and rich. Fresh apple and juicy pear, cereal and leather from the malt. Banana and peach. Stewed and baked apples with captivating woodiness. Ginger, cinnamon spice. Subtle sage, verbena, vanilla and honey
Sip
Elegant and silky first attack. Fresh juicy apples and bittersweet fruit cake. Becomes exotic with pineapple, lychee and kiwi. Entire palate coated with acacia honey
Savor
Long and complex with white fruit (pears) contrasting toasted bread. Well-balanced liquorice and vanilla. Herbal tea aftertaste with rosemary, mint and linden tree flowers adding floral dimension
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Greengrocer: Fresh (apple, pear, banana, peach, pineapple, lychee, kiwi); Bakery: cereal, fruit cake, toasted bread; Sweet Shop: honey, acacia honey, vanilla; Garden Path: sage, verbena, rosemary, mint, linden flowers; Walk to Lighthouse: leather; Pub/Bar: liquorice
Miyagikyo Single Malt Aromatic Yeast (Discovery 2022)
NAS47% ABV2022$200-275
Experimental aromatic yeast fermentation, non-chill-filtered
4/4 Tasting
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Sight
Bright gold
Smell
Exuberant lavender, marshmallow and marsh mallow plant, softly liquoricey with lush malted barley. Breathing reveals comte cheese, flowering meadow, peach, pear, apricot. Vanilla, coconut, sea salt and summer flowers
Sip
Full-bodied, refreshingly herbaceous (barley field, fern). Mid-palate becomes wonderfully rich with brioche and leavened baguette. White peaches and pears release tangy juice. Acacia honey spreads across palate with green ferns
Savor
Long and silky. Incredibly fresh herbal tea flavours (sage, chamomile, verbena) at the start. Grains of salt placed gently onto a bed of cut grass. Fiery ginger and pear blossom linger
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Garden Path: lavender, flowering meadow, chamomile, pear blossom; Bakery: brioche, baguette, malted barley; Sweet Shop: marshmallow, honey, acacia honey; Greengrocer: Fresh (peach, pear, apricot); Forest Trail: fern, cut grass; Pub/Bar: liquorice; Walk to Lighthouse: sea salt
Miyagikyo Single Malt Peated (Discovery 2021)
NAS48% ABV2021$150-200
Peated malt, cask types undisclosed
4/4 Tasting
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Sight
Pale gold with light straw tones, clear
Smell
Toast, dry peat smoke, ripe figs and tropical fruit. Honey, summer flowers, ashy peat, chocolate, vanilla and black liquorice. Apple skins, pencil shavings, gentle barrel spices. Red and exotic fruit notes with smoky oak
Sip
Peat spreads smoothly bringing surprising iodine and salt notes to fruity aromas. Bittersweet with a spicy edge. Lemon, apricot and poached pear as smoke gently emerges. Vanilla, caramel with layered subtle peat
Savor
Bitter cocoa in retro-olfaction. Great evolution to creamy orchard fruits as it progresses. Signature estery hint in the aftertaste. Medium-long
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Smoke House: dry peat, ashy peat, smoky oak; Greengrocer: Fresh (figs, tropical fruit, apple, lemon, apricot, pear); Garden Path: summer flowers; Sweet Shop: honey, vanilla, caramel, chocolate; Bakery: toast; Pub/Bar: liquorice; Walk to Lighthouse: iodine, salt