Gin The Ultimate Companion by Ian Buxton

Author:Ian Buxton [Buxton, Ian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Birlinn

NIKKA COFFEY

Distillery:

Miyagikyo Distillery, Miyagi-ken, Japan

Website:

www.nikka.com/eng/brands/coffey-gin-vodka

Visitor Centre:

Yes (Japanese-language only)

Strength:

47%

Not ‘coffee’ but Coffey, a nineteenth-century Irish Excise officer turned distiller who, in 1830, patented an improved design for a continuous still. There were other similar stills operating around this date, but Coffey’s proved the best and stood the test of time. In fact, though his very first examples were made of wood, an original example is still running in Guyana where it makes rum.

Today, there are multi-column designs offering greater efficiency and producing a purer spirit. But the old two-column still, originally imported from Scotland more than fifty years ago, operated by Nikka at Miyagikyo produces a spirit with greater character and texture. Nikka is best known for its whiskies, and for most of that time the still has been employed by them to make the grain whisky they need for their blends. However, in 2012, the venerable old apparatus came out of the shadows with the release of an unusual single grain whisky which was quickly followed by their Coffey Gin.

Alongside the malt distillate, the Coffey still is also used to produce a rich and silky maize spirit, which on its own is the base used to infuse and distil the botanicals. These include Japanese citrus such as yuzu, kabosu, hirami lemon and amanatsu, a touch of apples and the tangy Japanese sansho pepper, with juniper in there as you would expect. However, in what seems to be emerging as a distinct style in Japanese gins, the botanicals are divided into three groups – sansho pepper, fruit and herbs/spices – and distilled separately. The herbs and spices are distilled in a regular pot still, but the citrus and pepper are distilled at low pressure to maintain more of their delicate flavours, with all five components finally blended prior to bottling.

The dominant note comes from the various citrus components, which make this fresh, fruity and very refreshing, though with plenty of weight due to the 47% bottling strength.

Perhaps not everyone will care for the strong citrus-forward nose and taste of this gin and the subsequent peppery notes, but if you want something a little out of the ordinary, something that will stand up to the inevitable dilution of a G&T or classic cocktail, then this could well be for you. One idea might be to get a bottle of this, Ki No Bi and Roku and serve them blind in a Japanese gin tasting.

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