Description
A fruity, floral peated single malt from Nikka’s Yoichi distillery, made with aromatic yeasts that encourage the development of a floral, fruity character.
Aromas of herbal peat smoke, apple, pears, melon, mint, lily, coconut cream and pineapple fill the nose, complemented by notes of sea salt, green herbs, ripe barley, earthy peat, summer flowers and Mirabelle plums throughout the palate.
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Fruity, cereal and slightly peaty nose.
Apricot, baked apple, raspberry, licorice, berries, elderflower.
Warm, deep peat on hot bread. Still light for a Yoichi. -
On the palate it starts with sweet barley, brown sugar, apple skin, juicy pear, wood.
Light and oily peat. Peppery. -
Finale on apple, pear, pepper, and a slight menthol smoke. Eucalyptus, liquorice.
After the superb Yoichi Single Malt Non-peated launched in 2021, this yeast-focused version produced through low-temperature fermentation brings to mind the fruity and floral world of sake.
Returning to Yoichi’s typical style, it presents a multifaceted peat whose changing humour is one of its many captivating traits. Especially present on the first nose and mid-palate, this peat acts as the guiding theme for a palette of flavours and aromas punctuated by wonderfully complex fruity and floral sequences.
Yeeeast! You’re Giving Me Mixed Signals!
At its purest whiskymakers get three things to make their whiskies – barley, yeast and water. We all know barley plus water plus yeast gives alcohol (more specifically ethanol, which is not itself enjoyable to drink lest you fashion yourself a sociopath), which is really what whisky is.
The tricky part here is that you’re aiming to make flavorful alcohol – that is to say, you need to produce stuff beyond ethanol.
That flavor comes from congeners, which are impurities that come as a byproduct from the fermentation process. That’s right, from a purely chemistry standpoint, these congeners are not the primary goal of fermentation.
Yet, as I mentioned, you don’t want to be downing ethanol. Which is to say you kinda want the impurities that comes with the ethanol production. But not really…
Best Overall: The Hakushu 12 Years Single Malt Whisky
Suntory is the main company making Japanese whisky, followed by Nikka, and while Yamazaki has a popular and high-quality lineup, Hakushu is arguably the better of the two
