by Nikka Whisky by Shelley

Tadashi SAKUMA

Chief Blender, the Manager of Blending Section

THE NIKKA WHISKY DISTILLING CO., LTD

Starting his career at Yoichi distillery just after entering the company in 1982, Sakuma has widened his experience in whisky production, aging, procurement of raw materials and quality control. From 1995 to 2001, he was based in London and traveled throughout Europe as the General Manager of Nikka European office. In April 2012 he was appointed the chief blender and the manager of blending section as the successor of Nikka’s blending technique and philosophy inherited from the founder Masataka Taketsuru. He is now responsible for the whole quality management of Nikka products.

The Nikka Coffey Gin

The Coffey Gin was officially launched in June 2017, as a new expression within the Nikka “Coffey range”. The uniqueness of the production of the Nikka Coffey Gin is that it focuses more on the spirits itself and the blending process rather than just the botanicals.

The way we make Coffey Gin is something like making a blended whisky. As mentioned above the biggest feature of the Coffey Gin is the beauty of the base spirits distilled in Coffey stills, and the blending process makes everything come together.’ said Naoki.

The corn and malted barley were first distilled separately in the Coffey Stills. The Coffey Still distillates have a distinctive silky rich texture which in the case of the Coffey Gin it perfectly captures the full flavors of the selected botanicals.

Both corn-base spirits and malt-base spirits are not from single batch but consist of several batches with slight difference in ABV and taste profile. Then, using only the corn distillate, the above mentioned 11 botanicals were steeped and re-distilled in 3 different ways. Like blending whisky, the blenders find the best balance among those distinctive components and create a beautiful chemistry.

Gin Consumption- Becoming more Exciting and Creative

We see the Gin category as a whole becoming more and more exciting and creative. Despite this fast-moving world our belief is that innovation starts from tradition, and is what makes our product stand out. In the case of our Coffey Gin we were able to create a new gin combining our 3 traditions.

1.Nikka a history of Gin production since 1963 (different from the Coffey Gin)

2.Coffey Still distillation history since 1963

3.Blending skills since the foundation in 1934

For us it is not just one character, but a mixture of the people, culture and history behind it.’ said Naoki TOMOYOSHI, Nikka Whisky International Business Development.

The Nikka Coffey Gin

The Coffey Gin was officially launched in June 2017, as a new expression within the Nikka “Coffey range”. The uniqueness of the production of the Nikka Coffey Gin is that it focuses more on the spirits itself and the blending process rather than just the botanicals.

The way we make Coffey Gin is something like making a blended whisky. As mentioned above the biggest feature of the Coffey Gin is the beauty of the base spirits distilled in Coffey stills, and the blending process makes everything come together.’ said Naoki.

The corn and malted barley were first distilled separately in the Coffey Stills. The Coffey Still distillates have a distinctive silky rich texture which in the case of the Coffey Gin it perfectly captures the full flavors of the selected botanicals.

Both corn-base spirits and malt-base spirits are not from single batch but consist of several batches with slight difference in ABV and taste profile. Then, using only the corn distillate, the above mentioned 11 botanicals were steeped and re-distilled in 3 different ways. Like blending whisky, the blenders find the best balance among those distinctive components and create a beautiful chemistry.

Gin Consumption- Becoming more Exciting and Creative

We see the Gin category as a whole becoming more and more exciting and creative. Despite this fast-moving world our belief is that innovation starts from tradition, and is what makes our product stand out. In the case of our Coffey Gin we were able to create a new gin combining our 3 traditions.

1.Nikka a history of Gin production since 1963 (different from the Coffey Gin)

2.Coffey Still distillation history since 1963

3.Blending skills since the foundation in 1934

For us it is not just one character, but a mixture of the people, culture and history behind it.’ said Naoki TOMOYOSHI, Nikka Whisky International Business Development.

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