La Maison Du Whisky's Artist Range To Bottle Eight Single Casks Of Nikka's Yoichi & Miyagikyo Japanese Single Malts Aged 10 Years To 40 Years Featuring The Works Of Yoshiki Hase

It's been the law of the land the past decade that some of Japan's most renowned distillers have been going through a shortage that has seen their flagship age statement expressions culled, with stocks to be replenished only maturing as fast as a day at a time. This has meant that Japanese whisky fans have seen an absence of such age statement expressions that have become a sheer rarity, and continue to wait with eager anticipation for their return. As a step into that direction, Nikka fans have had their patience rewarded with the return of the Yoichi and Miyagikyo 10 Year Old's only just the past few years, with still much of the full lineup yet to come.

For those fans, French spirits retailer and distributor La Maison du Whisky (LMDW) has something they'll most certainly want to keep their eyes on - the Artist Range will for the first time see the bottling of 8 single casks of Yoichi and Miyagikyo Japanese single malts (4 from each distillery), with age statements starting from 10 Years Old, all the way to a whopping 40 Years Old! As LMDW puts it, "Twenty-five years of collaboration with Nikka Whisky have opened the doors to Yoichi’s warehouses and allowed us to accompany the evolution of this iconic distillery over time. In early 2001, we introduced Nikka whiskies to France. A few weeks later, a cask strength 10-year-old Yoichi was named “Best of the Best” by Whisky Magazine, confirming our intuition. In 2003, the selection of the first Yoichi cask—a 13-year-old distilled in 1989—paved the way for a long series of exclusive bottlings that continued until 2015. It would take over ten years and the Artist Nikka range to see the return of single casks from Yoichi."

LMDW would continue on to express, "Over the years, our exploration of Miyagikyo’s warehouses has allowed us to highlight the full complexity and finesse of the single malt from this distillery, which is more discreet than its older sibling, Yoichi. In 2005, a single cask—a 17-year-old distilled in 1987—marked the start of a series of exclusive bottlings. Ten releases followed through 2015, concluding with a final cask distilled in 1996 and aged for 18 years. In 2008, we had selected a 1986 single cask, then aged 21 years. Eighteen years later, we now have the privilege of returning to this same vintage, this time aged 40 years."

The new Nikka Yoichi and Miyagikyo Artist Range will see to the bottling of a 4-piece set of 10 Year Old, 20 Year Old, 35 Year Old and 40 Year Old Yoichi single casks, and a further 4-piece set of 10 Year Old, 15 Year Old, 25 Year Old and 40 Year Old Miyagikyo single casks, each donning a specially commissioned photograph work by Japanese artist Yoshiki Haze, featuring images taken from around the two iconic distilleries.

The bottlings are as follows:

LMDW Artist Range Yoichi Japanese Single Malts

Left to Right:

Landscape with a Blue Orb on the Yoichi Coast, Photography by Yoshiki Hase (2026)

Landscape with a Blue Curtain and Pot Still, Photography by Yoshiki Hase (2026).

Landscape with a Blue Curtain and the Kiln Tower Spire, Photography by Yoshiki Hase (2026).

Landscape with a Blue Curtain Before Rita House, Photography by Yoshiki Hase (2026). 

Yoichi 1986 Aged 40 Years

Japan, Single Malt, 58.9% ABV, Single Cask #252819, Remade Hogshead, 39 bottles

Aged for 40 years in a hogshead, this Yoichi is, to date, the oldest ever bottled. It displays a rare fullness and complexity, while its remarkably rich aroma and flavour palette conjures images of intense depth, culminating in the lingering aroma of an empty glass releasing the scent of wet earth after a summer storm. A unique expression that reawakens deeply buried memories and sensations thought to be lost forever.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep old gold.

Aroma: Complex, deep. Adorned with fruity (pomegranate, apricot), honey (heather), saline, and iodine (seaweed, kelp) tones, the heart of the aromat palette is occupied by the delicate scents of a peat that is both vegetal and spongy. Gradually, mixed with menthol and lemon fragrances, an intense smoke permeates an airy atmosphere.

Taste: Lively, characterful. Deliciously rancio-toned (apricot, orange zest), infused (verbena), spiritual (incense), and spicy (saffron, cardamom), it is simultaneously crossed by wisps of smoke from a subtle Havana cigar. Then, barley grain and porridge flavours take over a finish that is both fleshy and compact (block of peat).

Finish: Firm, concentrated. Radiating with presence and luminosity, it proves empyreumatic (soot, ashes, Papier d’Arménie), exotic (persimmon, mango), chocolaty, medicinal (tincture of iodine, cough drop), and malty. Mouthwatering, the retro-olfaction is licorice-tinged (stick), spicy (grated ginger, nutmeg), and peaty (peat soil).

Yoichi 1991 Aged 35 Years Pedro Ximénez Sherry Butt

Japan, Single Malt, 65.4% ABV, Single Cask #129880, Pedro Ximénez Sherry Butt, 144 bottles

Aged in a pedro ximénez cask, this rare expression from the Artist Nikka Whisky range dedicated to the Yoichi distillery is quite simply breathtaking. First in colour, with its dark mahogany nuances and green glints. Then in excess, through the baroque character of an uncompromising aroma and flavour palette that has nevertheless preserved exceptional freshness of expression. Few whiskies inspire such admiration: this Yoichi is assuredly one of them.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Dark mahogany.

Aroma: Rich, captivating. Revealing, in succession, scents of lava, soy sauce, 100% dark chocolate, dried fig, dried currant, prune, burnt black fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry), pipe tobacco, blood orange, apricot kernel, patchouli, celery, precious wood, water lily, humus, wet peat, etc. The aroma palette demonstrates extraordinary exuberance.

Taste: Full-bodied, velvety. Rooty (gentian), powdery (cocoa), mentholated, licorice-toned (Zan), roasted (coffee), honeyed (heather), citrusy (blood orange), tertiary (undergrowth, chestnut), earthy (peat soil, humus), herbaceous (alfalfa), empyreumatic (charcoal), animal (bresaola, viande des Grisons), etc. The flavour palette possesses a velvety texture of great nobility of expression.

Finish: Impressively long. Spiritual (incense, eucalyptus), tarry (hot asphalt), exotic (very ripe banana), sappy (pine resin), liqueur-like (burnt cane sugar, candy sugar), indulgent (crème brûlée, Tarte Tatin), preciously oaky (rosewood, larch), floral (iris concrete), etc. The finish ends in apotheosis with a retro-olfaction that replays the entire nose and palate.

Yoichi 2005 Aged 20 Years Mizunara Puncheon

Japan, Single Malt, 59.1% ABV, Single Cask #407529, Virgin Mizunara Puncheon, 297 bottles

Aged in a new mizunara oak cask, this expression from the Yoichi distillery paints an elegant and shimmering portrait of the iconic single malt. Of remarkable balance, its aroma and flavour palette is a tapestry of fruity, peaty, chocolaty, empyreumatic, floral, medicinal, mineral, and ashen sequences, all competing in intensity. A dazzlingly mature and sensitive Yoichi that deeply touched us.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep old gold.

Aroma: Full, elegant. Initially, superb aromas of bitter orange and dark chocolate gradually give way to peaty scents of extreme refinement. Then, the aroma palette evolves harmoniously toward more powdery (cocoa), empyreumatic (rubber), and heady (iris, honeysuckle) registers.

Taste: Both lively and smooth. Adopting medicinal (bandage, ointment), licorice (Zan), and mineral (slate) accents, the flavour palette is refreshed by the tangy juice of various citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit, kaffir lime). Then, taking up the pastoral character of the nose, it draws us into the middle of a barley field swept by an invigorating breeze.

Finish: Rich, concentrated. Covered in a thin layer of caramel and toffee, it features a peat that has become rooty (gentian), indulgent (Calisson d’Aix), and charred. Gradually, flavours of artichoke heart, asparagus, dried fruits (date, almond), and burning Havana cigar lend great originality to a voluble finish.

Yoichi 2015 Aged 10 Years

Japan, Single Malt, 63.1% ABV, Single Cask #148028, Virgin Oak Puncheon, 471 bottles

Aged in a new American oak puncheon, this expression from the Yoichi distillery evokes a great single malt from the Isle of Islay. Generous, concentrated, complex, and crunchy all at once, its aroma and flavour palette moves to the beat of an ever-present peat—alternately oily, saline, iodine, medicinal, pastoral, rooty, animal, empyreumatic, and incandescent. Extremely classy, this Yoichi perfectly embodies the traditional character of this distillery, whose stills are still direct-fired.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Old gold.

Aroma: Rich, deep. From the outset, a rich, oily, saline, iodine, medicinal, and rooty peat storms an aroma palette of rare fullness. With aeration, scents of smoked bacon, malted barley, candied lemon, and mirabelle plum form a second, equally generous olfactory phase.

Taste: Both lively and full-bodied. Supported by pleasant malty and lemony bitterness, the flavour palette reveals a drier, floral, and spring-like (dandelion, daffodil) peat. Over time, honeyed (acacia), herbaceous (cut hay), and empyreumatic (soot, diesel) flavours deeply permeate the tastebuds.

Finish: Dense, nourished. Particularly suggestive, it evokes the hearth of a fireplace where a twig fire crackles. This incandescent character is gradually tempered by succulent malty, honeyed (linden blossom), and candied (Williams pear, pineapple) flavours. Long after, the dry extracts of the empty glass return in force to the earthy and animal character of this magnificent Yoichi.

LMDW Artist Range Miyagikyo Japanese Single Malts

Left to Right:

Landscape with a Green Orb over Nikkawa River, Photography by Yoshiki Hase (2026).

Landscape with a Green Curtain and Pot Stills, Photography by Yoshiki Hase (2026).

Landscape with a Green Curtain and the Pagoda House Spire, Photography by Yoshiki Hase (2026).

Landscape with a Green Curtain in the Woods, Photography by Yoshiki Hase (2026).

Miyagikyo 1986 Aged 40 Years

Japan, Single Malt, 59.7% ABV, Single Cask #78858, Virgin Oak Puncheon, 174 bottles

This venerable bottling aged in a new American oak puncheon impresses with its power, complexity, and at the same time vitality and freshness. A true gem, its aroma and flavour palette explores medicinal, empyreumatic, heady, oxidative, roasted, exotic, spicy, and fermentative lands sharing the same purity of expression. Beyond superlatives, this Miyagikyo quite simply asserts itself as a legendary whisky.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep orange copper.

Aroma: Rich, concentrated. Medicinal (mustard plaster), powdery (cocoa), empyreumatic (burnt wood, varnish), and heady (iris concrete, broom, heather), the aroma palette is particularly warm and radiant. With aeration, fabulous scents of rancio (cherry in eau-de-vie, vin de paille) lend it even more elegance and class.

Taste: Lively, taut. Praline-tinged and roasted (coffee), the flavour palette also reveals notes of pipe tobacco, roasted banana and mango, quince jelly, and toasted walnut of rare intensity. Over time, it takes us through the woods to pick precious mushrooms (porcini, truffle, chanterelle).

Finish: Serene, expansive. Finely licorice-toned and infused (milk tea), it also proves spicy (grated ginger, cinnamon), delightfully bitter (dark chocolate), and fermentative (porridge). Fragrances of heather honey, pine resin, and precious wood permeate a retro-olfaction and empty glass in total unison.

Miyagikyo 2000 Aged 25 Years Sherry Butt

Japan, Single Malt, 60% ABV, Single Cask #117935, Sherry Butt, 425 bottles

Aged in an oloroso sherry cask, this next expression from the Artist Collection dedicated to the Miyagikyo distillery showcases this essential single malt in an unusual yet highly elegant light. Particularly earthy, medicinal, empyreumatic, and even animal, its aroma and flavour palette is dotted with exotic and tangy sequences forming true oases of freshness. A Miyagikyo making strides to meet Yoichi.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Mahogany.

Aroma: Rich, full-bodied. Empyreumatic scents of charcoal, dry peat, and tincture of iodine initially occupy the entire olfactory landscape. With aeration, aromas of gentian, ashes, Tiger Balm, and clove heighten the medicinal and heady character of the aroma palette.

Taste: Concentrated, invigorating. In turn imbued with medicinal, empyreumatic, and earthy (humus) flavours, the flavour palette also reveals chocolaty and licorice (Zan) notes. Gradually, coated in a fine layer of caramel, citrus zests (orange, mandarin) and exotic fruits (mango, persimmon) draw it to tangier and sweeter lands.

Finish: Long, dynamic. A magnificent synthesis of nose and palate, it is at once rooty (gentian), earthy, ashen, medicinal, chocolaty, fruity, and spicy. Particularly mouthwatering, the very end of the palate brings out its animal (bacon), saline, milky (almond), and licorice character.

Miyagikyo 2010 Aged 15 Years Port Hogshead

Japan, Single Malt, 58.8% ABV, Single Cask #125992, Port Hogshead, 204 bottles

Aged in a port cask, this expression from the Miyagikyo distillery calls for quiet contemplation. Its aroma and flavour palette transports us from the banks of the Nikkawa and Hirose rivers to the Lusitanian shores of the Douro River, carried by rancio notes of immense class. Having reached full maturity, it unfolds chocolaty, exotic, and spicy tones, confirming Miyagikyo’s status among the essential Japanese single malts.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Orange copper.

Aroma: Full, noble. Simultaneously floral (cornflower, heather, cherry blossom), herbaceous (tobacco leaf), rancio-toned (orange zest, apricot), balsamic (fir), spicy (cumin, green pepper), and indulgent (toffee), the aroma palette is a pure delight. Increasingly tertiary, over time it becomes more autumnal (mushroom, chestnut), oriental (saffron, turmeric), and chocolaty.

Taste: Rich, full-bodied. Closely linked to the nose, the flavour palette is powdery (cocoa), exotic (mango, persimmon), with notes of sweet liqueur (quince jelly), and spices (cardamom, nutmeg). Then, flavours of praline, gingerbread, and candied fruits (cherry, mandarin, guava) permeate a silky finish.

Finish: Velvety, deep. In turn indulgent (gingerbread, roasted pineapple), it extends onto notes of dark (grape, cherry) and dried (fig, date, apricot) fruits that highlight the very valuable contribution of the port wine. On the retro-olfaction, a thin layer of salted butter caramel gradually covers the tastebuds.

Miyagikyo 2015 Aged 10 Years

Japan, Single Malt, 55.3% ABV, Single Cask #11621, Recharred Puncheon, 507 bottles

Aged in a puncheon (an oblong cask ranging in capacity between 480 and 520 liters), this expression from the Miyagikyo distillery immediately seduced us with its uncompromising personality brimming with raw authenticity. Simultaneously mineral, radiant, verdant, abundantly fruity, infused, deeply malty, and nobly spicy, its aroma and flavour palette constantly gains in concentration, complexity, and elegance. A Miyagikyo that sets the tone.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Old gold.

Aroma: Both fresh and smooth. First, aromas of vanilla, white fruits (pear, mirabelle plum, peach), Tiger Balm, and clove provide plenty of cohesion to a luminous initial olfactory sequence. With aeration, the aroma palette gains new spices (ginger, nutmeg) as well as fragrances of verbena, candied lemons, and acacia honey.

Taste: Frank, elegant. Intensely malty and freshly herbaceous (hay, straw), the flavour palette is driven by notes of nutmeg and clove that emphasize the magnificent cohesion existing between nose and palate. Finely licorice-tinged (stick) and infused with exoticism (pineapple), it shows itself increasingly verdant (green barley, alfalfa) and delightfully aniseed-tinged.

Finish: Dense, full-bodied; powdery (rice grain, tapioca), oriental (curry, turmeric), and spicy (Cayenne), it is gradually lifted by the tangy juice of pressed citrus fruits (bergamot, grapefruit), coconut milk, and coriander. On the retro-olfaction, flavours of Bourbon vanilla, lavender honey, broad bean, and green almond intertwine in a most harmonious fashion.