Written by Mika Tanimoto, Owner-Bartender, Bar Little Happiness — Hiroshima’s specialist whisky & rum bar with 1,000+ bottles
“Pure malt” is a term that has meant different things in different places at different times. In Scotland, it was once used to mean a vatted malt — a blend of single malts from multiple distilleries, without grain whisky. In Japan, Nikka uses it for expressions that blend the two distilleries’ single malts: Yoichi and Miyagikyo.
Understanding this terminology helps understand two specific products: Nikka Pure Malt Red and Nikka Pure Malt Black — limited expressions sold only at Nikka’s distilleries, designed to showcase how each distillery’s character contributes to the broader Nikka style when blended.
Red and Black
The Red and Black designations in Nikka’s distillery-limited range refer to different proportions and profiles. Red tends toward the fruity, floral, lighter character of Miyagikyo-dominant blending. Black tends toward the heavier, more robust, peat-influenced character of Yoichi.
The interest in tasting these expressions is in understanding how Nikka thinks about the relationship between its two distilleries — how the blenders use each component, and what happens when you adjust the balance. These are not consumer products designed for wide distribution. They are conversations between the distilleries in liquid form, available only to those who visit.
Nikka expressions are available at Bar Little Happiness. Read the full Japanese column: little-happiness.jp/columns/nikka-pure-malt-red-black/
Bar Little Happiness | Hiroshima, Japan
Rum & Whisky specialists | 1,000+ bottles | English menu available
Open Mon–Sat 7PM–12:30AM, Sun 7PM–midnight
No cover charge. Walk-ins welcome.
english.little-happiness.jp