Nikka Whisky's Return to Age-Statement Releases Comes to USA

Ten years ago, the whisk(e)y industry explored a dramatic change in the packaging and sale of whiskey — specifically, a move away from age-statement whiskeys. For other distilleries, eschewing age statements was more of a tradition; when Jack Daniel’s released an age-statement whiskey in 2021, it was their first time doing so in over a century. As for Nikka Whisky, the move away from age statements was a bit more recent — but with their latest U.S. release, the pendulum has swung the other way.

Nikka Whisky’s Yoichi Single Malt 10-Year-Old comes from one of Nikka’s two distilleries: the Yoichi distllery, located on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan. The distillery first opened its doors in 1934, and was declared one of the nation’s “Important Cultural Properties” last year.

“This designation helps ensure we will pass on the history of Japanese whisky to future generations,” said Emiko Kaji, Nikka Whisky’s Global Marketing and Sales General Manager, in a statement. “To celebrate this special honor, we welcomed the return of Nikka Whisky aged statements and released the Yoichi Single Malt 10-Year-Old, a new expression created by the current blenders.”

Last year, the Yoichi Single Malt 10-Year-Old was released in Japan; this year sees that launch take on a global scope. It’s a welcome expansion after Japan’s distilleries went through a shortage of spirits earlier this decade.

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Nikka Whisky’s Yoichi Single Malt 10-Year-Old has a suggested retail price of $175. Though given this whisky’s history — in 2001, a Yoichi Single Malt 10-Year-Old won Whisky Magazine‘s “Best of the Best” award — we’ll see how long it stays on the shelves. But with Nikka Whisky’s 90th anniversary approaching next year, it’ll be interesting to see what they do next.