Nikka Nine Decades 90th Anniversary Limited Edition
Nikka Nine Decades 90th Anniversary Limited Edition is a 48% ABV (96 proof), 700mL blended whisky created for Nikka's 90th anniversary — more than 50 component whiskies drawn from six Nikka distilleries and nine decades of stock, from the 1940s to the 2020s, bottled non-chill filtered. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 48% (96 proof)
- Size: 700mL
- Blend: More than 50 component whiskies spanning the 1940s–2020s
- Distilleries: Yoichi, Miyagikyo, Ben Nevis (Scotland), Moji, Satsumatsukasa and Nishinomiya
- Chief Blender: Hiromi Ozaki
- Filtration: Non-chill filtered
- Edition: 4,000 bottles worldwide (400 for the US), with display box and booklet
- Bottle: Edo-bori carved glass, in the shape first used for The Nikka 40
Nine Decades in One Bottle
Masataka Taketsuru founded Nikka in 1934; ninety years later, Chief Blender Hiromi Ozaki marked the anniversary by opening the company's deepest reserves. Nine Decades blends the oldest malt reserves of Yoichi and Miyagikyo with whiskies from Ben Nevis in Scotland and grain whiskies from Moji, Satsumatsukasa and Nishinomiya — every decade of Nikka's life, 1940s to 2020s, in a single blend. The bottle itself is a piece of craft: Edo-bori carved glass in the silhouette first created for The Nikka 40, presented in a display box with a booklet. Browse the Nikka Whisky collection, more Japanese whisky, and the wider whisky shelves at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Nikka's release notes: rich apple pie and raisin sweetness on the nose, with aged-cask aroma, gentle smokiness and antique furniture; a robust palate of oak, spicy cinnamon, roasted nuts and dark chocolate, subtle peat bitterness balanced by apricot jam and maple syrup; and a full-bodied finish of gentle peat that turns sweet-and-sour into a pleasant, lingering bitterness.
How to Enjoy
Neat, slowly, in a tasting glass — this is a whisky to study as it changes over an hour. A drop of water lifts the apricot and maple; save ice for something less rare.
Frequently Asked Questions
How limited is Nine Decades? 4,000 bottles were produced worldwide for Nikka's 90th anniversary, with 400 allocated to the United States.
Which distilleries are in the blend? Six: Yoichi and Miyagikyo malts, Ben Nevis in Scotland, and grain whiskies from Moji, Satsumatsukasa and Nishinomiya — spanning the 1940s through the 2020s.
What is the ABV? 48% ABV (96 proof), non-chill filtered, in a 700mL bottle.
What is Edo-bori? A traditional Tokyo glass-carving technique used to cut the bottle's intricate pattern; the bottle's shape was first created for The Nikka 40, the 80th anniversary bottling.
One of 400 bottles for the entire US — order Nikka Nine Decades online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.