Nikka Coffey Gin 750ml

Nikka Whisky traces back to Masataka Taketsuru, often called the father of Japanese whisky, who studied distilling in Scotland in the 1920s before returning home to found the company in 1934. His second distillery, Miyagikyo, opened in 1969 at the confluence of two rivers in the mountains near Sendai, and it was there that Nikka installed a pair of Coffey stills imported from Scotland. The company had produced gin and vodka for the domestic market decades earlier before halting production in 1995, and it wasn't until 2017 that Nikka revived white spirits, releasing Coffey Gin as its first gin built entirely around that continuous still distillate.

The gin starts from a base of corn and malted barley, distilled through the Coffey stills to give it a smooth, rounded backbone before botanicals are introduced. Eleven botanicals go into the recipe, split into three groups, citrus, pepper, and traditional herbs and spices, each macerated and redistilled separately before blending. Alongside juniper, angelica, coriander, and citrus peel, the gin leans heavily on Japanese ingredients including yuzu, kabosu, amanatsu, and shequasar, plus a touch of sansho pepper and apple juice for added depth.

The nose is vividly citrus forward, with yuzu and Meyer lemon zest layered over a gentle menthol lift from the sansho pepper. The palate is silky and full bodied, juniper appearing understated behind waves of tangy citrus, apple, and a warm, tingling spice on the finish. It makes an outstanding Gin and Tonic and adds real character to a Vesper.