SMWS G12.1 Oh So Sweet Nikka Coffey Malt 2003 11 Year Old

A 2003 vintage single cask expression of Nikka Coffey Malt whisky aged for 11 years in a re-charred hogshead. Produced at Nikka's Miyagikyo distillery in Sendai, this single grain whisky utilises 100% malted barley that has been distilled on Nikka's huge Coffey stills. Single cask expressions of this whisky is nearly non existent, with only a tiny handful ever hitting the market.

Miyagikyo

Just over 30 years after Mastaka Taketsuru founded the Nikka whisky company, he opened his second malt whisky distillery in Miyagi, Sendai. Seeking an expansion to the types of malt whisky available for his blends, Taketsuru looked to build a distillery site that was the polar opposite of his first site Yoichi. Situated in between two rivers and surrounded by mountains, the Sendai distillery, renamed Miyagikyo in 2001, was constructed and finished in 1969. Unlike the Yoichi distillery which utilised a direct flame and was coal powered, the Sendai distillery used indirect steam heating. Additionally, Yoichi utilised worm tub condensers which produce a heavy spirit, so Miyagikyo chose to use shell & tube condensers to produce a lighter spirit. More unpeated and light peated barley is utilised at Miyagikyo, with the majority of the barley imported from Scotland.

The pot stills at the Sendai site are considerably bigger than Yoichi and include boil balls along with an upward sloping lyne arm. This all contributes to a considerable amount of copper contact, stripping out the heavier compounds in the spirit and leaving a light and delicate style of newmake. This means that Miyagikyo is typically a fruity and floral expression whereas Yoichi is a dirtier and heavier style of whisky. Grain whisky production was also moved to Sendai when the Coffey stills at Nikka’s Nishinomiya bottling plant were closed in 1998. A huge pair of stills, Nikka primarily utilises maize imported from the US as well as running malted barley through them. This has led to the exceptionally popular Nikka Coffey grain & Coffey malt releases.

Scottish Malt Whisky Society

Originally founded in 1983 by a small group of friends in Scotland, the Scottish Malt Whisky Society has grown to be one of the world’s premier independent bottling companies. With branches across the globe and over 30,000 members, the SMWS has established itself as the go-to for quality single cask whiskies. The society began its journey when a group of friends purchased a cask of whisky from the Glenfarclas distillery, intended to be shared and drunk as they saw fit. When a portion of the Vaults building in Leith became available the friends decided to set up a membership only society in the premises. Bottling that very Glenfarclas cask and labelling it “1.1” referring to the 1st distillery they bottled and the first release of said distillery. They continued to purchase casks and release them month by month, later dubbed “Outturn”. In 1995 the society would open their Greville St premises in London and 2004 the Queen St location in Edinburgh. Also in 2004 the SMWS was sold to Glenmorangie who were then purchased by Moet-Hennesy shortly after. In 2015 the society was then sold to a private collection of investors, now known as “Artisanal Spirits Company”.

With almost 40 years of experience bottling whisky under their belt it's no surprise that the Scottish Malt Whisky Society has seen the evolution of the worldwide whisky industry. As of 2021, the SMWS has bottled 150 different distilleries/styles of spirits including bourbon, cognac, brandy, armagnac, rye and even rum from brand new distilleries to those closed many decades ago. In 2021 the Australian branch of the SMWS selected the first ever Australian whisky for the Society in the form of a two year old Apera matured single malt from the Archie Rose distillery in Sydney. Shortly afterwards a six year old, also Apera matured, whisky was selected from Starward distillery in Melbourne.