Nikka Whisky masterclass: DFWE Singapore 2024

It was a full house for the first-ever spirits masterclass at Decanter’s inaugural Fine Wine Encounter in Singapore, with the rich history and drams from Japan’s Nikka Whisky enthralling attendees.

Hosted by Diego Araud, of specialist spirits merchant La Maison du Whisky, and Ch’ng Poh Tiong, one of only 3,000 people worldwide honoured as a Keeper of the Quaich for their commitment to the Scotch whisky industry, the 90-minute class was entertaining and informative for both whisky lovers and novices alike.

Scroll down for tasting notes of the six whiskies tasted at Decanter’s Nikka Whisky masterclass

Ch’ng, who is also Regional Chair for Asia at the Decanter World Wine Awards, admitted that despite his love for wine ‘it is often too subtle… my heart and my liver are with whisky’.

‘Of course, wine is wonderful, but spirits is where it’s going,’ he said. ‘Your last drink of any great evening is usually a spirit, and that spirit – for me – is almost always whisky.’

And while Scotland remains the homeland, Japanese whisky has ‘taken off like a rocket’, explained Araud. Which is all thanks to one man.

Father of Japanese whisky

More than a century ago, instead of joining the family sake brewery, Masataka Taketsuru became enamoured with Western spirits and, in 1918, became the first Japanese person to travel to Scotland to learn about Scotch whisky.

After chemistry studies at Glasgow University and apprenticeships at several distilleries, he returned to Japan not only with the notebooks that were to become the bible for Japanese whisky production, but also a wife – Rita Cowan.

In 1923, the company that was later renamed Suntory hired him to oversee the building of Kyoto’s Yamazaki distillery. And there, in 1929, Taketsuru made Japan’s first whisky – Suntory Shirofuda.

Wanting to set out on their own, to make weightier more complex whiskies akin to those of Scotland, the Taketsurus opened their own distillery on the island of Hokkaido in July 1934 – choosing the town of Yoichi, as its cool climate and surrounding mountains and sea reminded them of Campbeltown.

They named their company Nikka, a portmanteau of Nippon Kaju –’Japanese juice’. Today, 90 years on, the brand is synonymous with craftsmanship and quality.

Nikka Whisky: six drams to try

Masterclass attendees were welcomed with a highball, a 1:2 ratio of whisky and soda water, featuring Nikka From the Barrel. The blended whisky (55% grain and 45% malt) is a hefty 51.4% abv but, served in this way, offers a balanced, refreshing experience of the Nikka style.

‘Highballs are perfect to enjoy in hot countries like Singapore,’ said Araud. ‘And while you are eating too,’ added Ch’ng. ‘The flavours are really versatile, particularly with spicy Asian cuisines.’

A whistle-stop tasting of five other Nikka whiskies followed: the Yoichi Single Malt, from Taketsuru’s original Hokkaido distillery; the Miyagikyo Single Malt, from the distillery in Sendai he opened in 1969; and the Taketsuru Pure Malt, a blend of those two single malts. Nikka’s Coffey Malt – made in a column still – was a favourite of attendees, for its smooth, spiced sweetness.

To finish the masterclass, attendees were among only a handful in the world to taste Nikka’s Nine Decades – an exclusive release of only 4,000 bottles globally to celebrate the brand’s 90th anniversary. Priced at £2,500 for 70cl, it’s a blend of 50 malt and grain batches from Nikka’s six distilleries that span nine decades – from the 1940s to the 2020s.

Coming soon: Discover the other DFWE Singapore 2024 masterclasses

Clos de Vougeot

Château Lafite Rothschild & Long Dai

How to enjoy whisky

Araud said there was an outdated perception that whisky could only be appreciated ‘on the rocks, by men sitting in a big leather chair in front of a fire’, but that the popularity of whisky-based cocktails, especially in Asia, and notably with Japanese whiskies such as Nikka, had helped to turn this notion on its head.

Ageing being an indicator of whisky quality was another popular misconception, said Ch’ng. ‘It’s just a piece of information, like the grape variety in a wine, or the alcohol level. Ageing a bad whisky for 40 years doesn’t make it better, just as a heavy bottle or a darker colour doesn’t make a red wine better.’

Far more important, they said, was the distillery character and the origin and age of barrels in a whisky’s maturation.

Araud and Ch’ng encouraged whisky newcomers to keep tasting a variety of styles and brands to build their own descriptors. Jackfruit, goji berry or oolong may mean more to an Asian palate than a Western one, for example.

Enjoying whisky at different temperatures and with or without water and ice was also important. ‘Try it cool, try it at room temperature, warm the glass up in your hands and see how it changes, add water, add ice – it’s up to you; play around!’ urged Araud.

Although he did advise people not to keep whisky in the fridge. ‘In a single malt, you want to let those oils, essences and volatile compounds show. If it’s too cold then it will restrict the expression and you won’t get all the aromas or flavours.’

DFWE Singapore 2024: Nikka Whisky masterclass

Nikka Yoichi Single Malt

From the original Nikka distillery in Hokkaido, founded in 1934, this is a no-age-statement blend of single malts from different years. Being close to the sea, there is a fresh salinity alongside the delicate peatiness, with an overlay of sweet citrus fruit and ripe pear. A smooth, balanced malt that showcases the rich, smoky Nikka style. About £65/70cl. Alc 45%

Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt

Nikka’s Miyagikyo distillery in Sendai opened in 1969 and this no-age-statement blend of single malts from different years is mainly matured in ex-Sherry casks. This comes through in its oily, unctuous banana fudge, raisin, spiced chocolate and smoked almond flavours. A versatile whisky for food: try with chicken masala. About £65/70cl. Alc 45%

Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt

Named for Masataka Taketsuru, Nikka’s founder and the father of Japanese whisky, this is a blend of the two single malts: Miyagikyo and Yoichi, matured in mainly ex-Sherry casks for 10 years. Fruit-forward with rich, spicy caramel tones, it’s an approachable style perfect for a highball, more complex whisky cocktails or simply straight up. About £55/70cl. Alc 43%

Nikka Coffey Malt

Unlike single-batch pot stills for malt whisky, continuous column stills – invented by Aeneas Coffey – are used to produce vast quantities of grain whisky. But Nikka’s single-cask releases of its Coffey Malt became so popular, the style joined its core range in 2014. Spiced rum drinkers will find similarities in its roast pineapple, banoffee pie and toasted almond notes and smooth easy-sipping style. About £60/70cl. Alc 45%

Nikka from the Barrel

First released in the 1980s, this squat rectangular bottle is a Nikka icon: a blended whisky with a high proportion of single malt (about 45%) from the Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries and matured in a range of casks, including ex-bourbon barrels. Deeply aromatic, with rich spiced rye, sweet vanilla fudge and dried apple flavours. About £40/70cl. Alc 51.4%

The Nikka Nine Decades

Bottled in 2024 for Nikka’s 90th anniversary, only 4,000 bottles were made: half reserved for the Japanese market, 964 bottles released in Europe and 400 in the US. It’s a blend of 50 malt and grain batches from Nikka’s six distilleries that span nine decades – from the 1940s to the 2020s. They include Yoichi Single Malt from 1945 (the oldest stock from that site), Miyagikyo and Ben Nevis Single Malts from the 1960s, and Nishinomiya grain whisky from the 1980s. Non-chill filtered, it is layered and complex, with dark fruit flavours, chocolate almond richness, a piquant smokiness and sweetly spiced oak. Prices for this limited-edition whisky start at £2,500 for a 70cl bottle in a wooden presentation case. Alc 48%

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