Nikka Whisky’s Miyagikyo Distillery, nestled in a mountain valley near Sendai in northern Honshu, produces one of the most distinctive Japanese single malts: floral, fruited, and famously apple-forward. The 2022 vintage expression captures Miyagikyo at a specific moment in its maturation — a snapshot of a distillery that has been quietly perfecting its fruit-driven character for over 50 years.
Why Miyagikyo Tastes Like Apples
Miyagikyo was founded in 1969 by Masataka Taketsuru — Nikka’s founder and the father of Japanese whisky — who chose the site for its exceptionally pure mountain water and cool climate. The distillery uses a unique combination of Coffey still distillation (for grain whisky) alongside pot still malt production. The Coffey stills at Miyagikyo produce grain whisky with an unusually rich, fruited character — closer to the light fruit of Irish pot still than the clean neutrality of most grain whisky. This fruited grain component blends with the floral malt to create Miyagikyo’s signature apple and pear aromatics.
Mika’s Perspective
Miyagikyo and Yoichi — Nikka’s two distilleries — are as different as a distillery pair can be: Yoichi heavy, peated, coastal; Miyagikyo light, fruited, mountain. The 2022 expression shows Miyagikyo’s character at a particular maturation point. Both are available at Bar Little Happiness, and comparing them side by side is one of the best short courses in what Japanese whisky actually encompasses. Read the original Japanese column: https://little-happiness.jp/columns/miyagikyo2022/
Bar Little Happiness | Hiroshima, Japan
Rum & Whisky specialists | 1,000+ bottles | English menu available
Open Mon–Sat 7PM–12:30AM, Sun 7PM–midnight
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