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Nikka Coffey Malt

ニッカ カフェモルト

On the shelf Does not meet the standard

What it costs in Japan

¥5,500

about $37 at ¥150/$ (2026-08)

Our estimate · checked August 2026

US retail is 2.0× the Japanese price — about $38 more per bottle.

Observed in a Japanese shop · checked August 2026
wine-searcher US average, 750ml. Weaker than a single named retailer — averages blend ordinary shops with specialist importers. Replace when a Total Wine listing is confirmed.

Can you actually buy it here?

Stocked by ordinary Japanese liquor shops and supermarkets at list price.

Our estimate · checked August 2026

Is it Japanese whisky?

Does not meet the JSLMA standard, usually because some of the liquid was distilled outside Japan. Several producers say so openly — this is a statement about the category a bottle belongs to, not about its quality.

How it tastes

All malt, but run through continuous Coffey stills rather than pot stills, which is why it legally could not be called single malt in Scotland and tastes like nothing from there. Not Japanese whisky by the JSLMA standard either: part of the older stock in the blend came from Ben Nevis distillate. Worth trying beside the Coffey Grain to hear what the still is doing.

Peat
Sweetness
Fruit
Spice
Oak
Smoke
Complexity
Body

Our estimates, scored the same way across every bottle so they can be compared.

Specification

ProducerMiyagikyo Distillery
RegionTohoku
TypeSingle Malt
AgeNo age statement
ABV45%
CasksAmerican oak, Sherry
Best servedNeat, On the rocks
Our rating83 / 100 (editorial)

Where to buy outside Japan

UK retailers ship to the US state by state, and the list changes. Check your state on the retailer's own site before ordering — any state list we published here would be out of date within months.

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