I purchased my bottle of Yoichi NAS during my March-April Japan 2023 trip, for grand total of $27. The same whisky costs, on average, $97 in the US. Yes, this is why some of us return from Japan with a new piece of luggage filled with bottles wrapped in dirty laundry.
In lieu of a bottle pic, here's an Itsukushima ice cream shop sign, located in the touristy part of the island:
I opened the Yoichi NAS bottle at the end of 2023, just in time for the next whisky.
After eight long years of waiting, the Yoichi 10 year old returned in 2023! And it was expensive. As soon as some 750mLs were exported to The States, the Doctors Springbank scooped up two bottles. I went in halfsies on one of the bottles.
Just after New Year's 2024, we sat down and tried the NAS and 10yo side-by-side. I took no notes, but I remember that the 10 required a lot of air to open up. Now, 14 months later, I'm sitting down in my whisky chair to compare them again, but with notes this time.
THE YOICHI YOUTHS
| Yoichi NAS (2022, Japan) 45%abv |
Yoichi 10 year old (2023, USA) 45%abv |
|---|---|
| Very young lightly peated spirit greets the nose. Pears, apples, orange peels, and talcum powder up front. Wood smoke and seaweed in the back. | Peated steak chili. Yes, that's the first nose note. Think beef and chili powder. A hint of seaweed too. Plums and almond extract appear around the 30-minute mark. At 45 minutes? Yeast and sweat. |
| The peat rumbles louder in the palate, joining apples, pears, mint, and a peppery heat. Its sweetness starts off mildly, but expands with time, becoming very sugary by the 45-minute mark. | Soft, familiar Yoichi peat balances well with tart stone fruits and citrus in the palate. The sweetness remains subtle throughout. Notes of almonds, almond extract, and tobacco highlight the background. |
| It finishes tangy and peppery with more heat and less peat than expected. The sweetness is never shy here. | It finishes with nectarines, cigarettes, seaweed, and simple syrup. |
| Comments: This NAS expression reads sweeter and younger than the old version, which needed water to reveal its sugars. Luckily, baby Yoichi spirit is quite good. Yet, from the top of the bottle to the bottom, this single malt showed very little complexity. It did work decently in a highball, though. | Comments: This was the older sibling, indeed. It was much more interesting, and less clean, than the NAS. Nikka's whiskies tend to be mild mannered, but this one showed hints of crazy. Which I like, a lot. I wouldn't be shocked if some sherry casks were included, and possibly a mix of peated and non-peated spirits. |
| Rating: 82 | Rating: 87 |
WORDS WORDS WORDS
The NAS cost less than $0.04/mL. The 10yo, $0.21/mL. Though the 10 is the superior whisky, the premium one pays doesn't seem reasonable. That opinion doesn't seem to be shared by many. Because the new 10's first release sold out nearly instantly in Japan and the US, I don't foresee a price drop for subsequent batches. If price isn't an obstacle for you, then go for it! And share it. It's very good stuff. Meanwhile, if you're in The States, Nikka's From the Barrel blend offers more flavor and flexibility than Yoichi NAS single malt, and at a lower price.
