Five vintage Yoichi, including an absolute gem


December 20, 2024

Five vintage Yoichi, including an absolute gem

Beyond the more commonly known Japanese blends, Yoichi stood out as one of the four exceptional single malts from the Land of the Rising Sun that were already gaining recognition in Europe before the year 2000. A true jewel of the Nikka group, the Yoichi distillery was founded in 1934. The other three were Miyagikyo (established in 1969, also part of Nikka) and the two icons of Suntory: Yamazaki (1923) and Hakushu (1973).

(Photograph Nikka)

At the time, other Japanese malts were still relatively niche, including Karuizawa (1955–2001), which only truly came to our attention in 2007. By then, its then-owners, the Kirin Group, had already announced that no new single malts would be produced in the future, with only the remaining stock available. Here, we present five Yoichis that are already rather old and steeped in history.

Yoichi 16 yo 1991/2007 (62%, OB, oak cask, cask #129493, Warehouse #15)

Yoichi 16 yo 1991/2007 (62%, OB, oak cask, cask #129493, Warehouse #15)
A Yoichi that left a strong impression on me when I first tried it some fifteen years ago. I’ll add that I’ve always been fond of the charming simplicity of the term ‘oak cask’. So understated, and that’s just perfect. Colour: dark gold. Nose: the oily texture of this malt is already apparent on the nose! Seems to be a heavily peated version, with lots of resinous wood ash, some coal, and the bergamots of Nancy, even a touch of fatty ham. Then, a clearer line emerges with roasted chestnuts, camphor, and sauna oils. That Japanese character feels prominent. A magnificent nose so far. With water: an exquisite dance of waxes, fresh putty, camphor, and assorted peppers, including Sichuan pepper. Mouth: rich and indeed oily, but those little citrus notes, led by bergamot, bring immediate and wonderful freshness. In the background, some lovely bitters that give it an almost Italian edge. With water: a fat, smoky peat takes the reins. Impressions of smoked olive oil and green walnuts follow. Finish: long, still oily but never tiring. There’s a subtle salty, minty touch and naturally spiced olive oil. Comments: I haven’t changed my opinion; this is a magnificent Yoichi. No wonder these vintages were instantly celebrated.
SGP:467 - 90 points.

Yoichi 20 yo 1991/2011 (63%, OB, Heavily Peated, cask #129651, Warehouse #15)

Yoichi 20 yo 1991/2011 (63%, OB, Heavily Peated, cask #129651, Warehouse #15)
A ‘brother’ cask to the previous one, bottled a few years later with a few more years of age. You’d naturally expect plenty of similarities. The inclusion of details like warehouse n°15 is truly a hallmark of these earlier Japanese malts. Colour: deep gold. Nose: you get that saline, citrusy tension again, with fresh mint, spruce wood, a touch of bacon, eucalyptus, and then a sense of an old temple, cedarwood, incense, beeswax… the peat is both prominent and discreet, perfectly integrated without ever veering into that condiment-like profile sometimes found in peated whiskies from other countries. There’s a natural rubbery touch not present in the previous cask. With water: now it’s almost identical to cask n°129493. Waxes, propolis, fresh putty, and green pepper. Mouth: much tauter now, bitter, very peppery, salty, almost a little aggressive. It does need water. With water: loads of olives, capers, amaro, aubergine, ashes… Finish: very long, smoky, on brine, olives, candied citrus peels, cardamom, and coriander seeds. Aftertaste on green peppercorns with a tiny touch of honey and vanilla. Comments: the younger one was a bit more civilised, a little less wild. This twenty-year-old is incredibly energetic but mellows out a bit over time.
SGP:367 - 89 points.

Yoichi 11 yo 1990/2002 (62.2%, OB, cask #129613, Warehouse #7)

Yoichi 11 yo 1990/2002 (62.2%, OB, cask #129613, Warehouse #7)
All these Yoichi bottlings carried the ‘Nikka’ label, with little focus on the distillery itself back then. Yoichi produced everything from heavily peated malts to virtually unpeated ones, and often it’s only during the tasting that this becomes apparent. Let’s see… Colour: gold. Nose: the wood feels more prominent, more forward, perhaps virgin oak, as the Japanese used virgin oak much more than the Scots did twenty or thirty years ago. Fresh ginger, turmeric, gooseberries, rhubarb, apple peelings, and some humus… With water: a few exotic fruits creep in, banana skin, guavas, slightly underripe papayas… Mouth: a certain sharpness from the wood, green pepper, lemon peel, coriander leaf… Water definitely feels necessary here to calm it all down. With water: an amusing Fins Bois-style cognac note, slightly rustic and herbal. Cider apples stand out strongly. Finish: long, herbal, with green pepper and fir honey. Some lime peel and ginger linger as the signature. Comments: maybe due to its youth, this Yoichi feels a bit rough and dominated by active wood. It should mellow out further after thirty or forty years in the cellar. Yes.
SGP:471 - 87 points.

Yoichi 13 yo 1989/2003 (62.3%, OB, cask #228276, Warehouse #29)

Shall we find peat in this other young Yoichi? Colour: pale gold. Nose: a different style, very elegant, with oily notes of sesame and hazelnut oil, wood varnish, fresh pistachios, and once again, banana skin. There’s a very light whiff of smoke (charcoal) and a touch of rhubarb. Hints of high-rye bourbon here and there, though that should fade with a splash of… With water: it becomes more compact but remains lovely, with notes of mushrooms, pine needles, green tea, and thyme… Mouth: rich, powerful, yet taut. Chlorophyll and lemon peel, kirsch, varnish, orgeat, ginger… You might imagine a touch of mizunara here, though that’s not certain. With water: still an oily texture, with grape seed oil and green banana. Those varnish touches persist, followed by hints of cumin and citrusy lemons. Finish: long, herbal, leaning towards heavily infused green tea. Green wood lingers in the aftertaste along with some smoke in the form of lapsang souchong, roasted teas like hojicha, and liquorice. A touch of blackcurrant bud and some tannins as well. Comments: likely a very active cask and a Yoichi that’s remained quite young and vibrant. At times, it feels a bit like fino sherry or even a vin jaune from Arbois, but in the end, it’s distinctly Japanese. Perhaps the least Westernised of true Japanese malts.
SGP:472 - 87 points.

Yoichi 15 yo 1984/2000 (60.4%, OB, cask #103440, Warehouse #22)

Yoichi 15 yo 1984/2000 (60.4%, OB, cask #103440, Warehouse #22)
1984 was a great vintage for Japanese malt whisky, though that’s purely anecdotal. Besides, we haven’t tasted hundreds of them, alas! Colour: amber gold. Nose: you could stop here, it’s that stunning. Gorgeous wafts of pipe tobacco and menthol, dried figs, chestnut honey, old leather-bound books, Iberian ham, dried meats, morels, old turpentine, and high-quality motor oil… What a whirlwind! With water: beeswax takes over, with even more turpentine and touches of linseed oil. Spruce buds. Mouth: it’s all over. A resinous profile, very pronounced but softened by honey, old ‘medicinal’ liqueurs, verbena, Timut pepper, a faintly lemony hoppy side, and smoked meats… This is absolutely and utterly majestic. With water: a sudden burst of dried fruits, rounded out with a splash of myrtle liqueur. Almost Corsican now. Finish: long, almost refreshing. Mint, wax, and liquorice in perfect balance. Dark chocolate and Pulmoll pastilles in the aftertaste—remember those? Comments: this flirts with the sublime. Di you call the ANMPB? (That’s Anti-Nippon-Malto-Porn Brigade).
SGP:562 - 93 points.

(Huge thanks to the Golden Promise bar in Paris and to Whisky Magazine & Fine Spirits)

Check the index of all Japanese whiskies we've tasted so far