Nikka Coffey Malt

Both Yoichi and Miyagikyo single malts are distilled in traditional pot stills, but the company Nikka also has several column stills as well, called Coffey stills. Those are used to create both grain and single malt whisky. Nikka has bottled these as Coffey Grain and Coffey Malt. Let us put these head-to-head, ending with the malt. Sweet malt, lime zest and juicy pears precede white bread and a handful of hazel nuts on this very sweet nose. Nice hint of café latté with whipped cream and vanilla. After a few moments I even get some pastry. Well, this is a rather nice nose indeed. Oily on the palate and gently spiced. Think pepper and liquorice. The fruit is again of the citrus family, while some yellow plums come to the surface. But what stands out mostly for me is a dark sweetness that reminds me more of a rum than whisky. The coffee becomes praline, the whipped cream turns to vanilla custard. It’s the plums that linger the longest in this medium long and sweet finish. This is much more interesting than the grain variant and I’m not saying this because I am a malt snob. I’m not. This is simply much more complex and better. Around 55 EUR, just like the Coffey Grain.

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