Nikka Coffey Japanese Vodka 70 cl 40%

In a valley outside Sendai, between two rivers and a wood of broadleaf trees, stands a column still from 1963. It was bought second-hand in Scotland, shipped to Japan and has been running there ever since. Nikka uses it for whisky, for gin and for this vodka.

Expert description

Nikka Coffey Japanese Vodka is a Japanese Vodka from Nikka Whisky, distilled from corn and malted barley in a Coffey still at the Miyagikyo distillery and bottled at 40%.

A Coffey still is an old-fashioned column, named after the Irishman Aeneas Coffey who patented it in 1830. It is less efficient than a modern column, and that is the entire point. Because it does not strip the distillate all the way down, body and texture come across with it, the very things a modern column would have shaved away.

Nikka brought its Coffey still to Japan in 1963 and still runs it. The grain is a mixture of corn and malted barley, where the corn brings round sweetness and the malt lays a soft layer underneath. It is the same thinking about raw material that sits behind the house Coffey Grain Whisky, only without the cask.

Finally the vodka is filtered through white birch charcoal. White birch is soft, porous wood, and its charcoal works gently: it takes the edges without dragging the sweetness along. The result is a vodka where texture is the first thing you notice and purity arrives second.

Tasting notes

Nose

Soft and clean. Cooked corn and a touch of lemon peel, with a distant floral note behind.

Palate

Creamy and lightly sweet. Corn sweetness fills the middle, the malt lays a soft layer beneath, and there is a suggestion of white pepper at the edge.

Finish

Short and velvety. The sweetness slips quietly away and leaves a clean, almost powdered impression.

Specifications

Name: Nikka Coffey Vodka
Distillery: Nikka Whisky
Region/Country: Miyagikyo, Sendai, Japan
Type: Japanese Vodka
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Distilled from corn and malted barley in a Coffey still, filtered through white birch charcoal
EAN no.: 3700597303276
Serving suggestion: Neat and cool in a small glass, or in a Vodka Martini where the texture gets room without too much vermouth.

Flavour profile

Creamy · Lightly corn-sweet · Clean · Soft texture

Did you know?

The same Coffey still is used for the house Coffey Grain Whisky and Coffey Malt Whisky. So Coffey never refers to coffee at Nikka, even though the name makes plenty of people assume it does. It is a surname.

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Frequently asked questions about Nikka Coffey Vodka

What is a Coffey still?

A continuous column of the type the Irishman Aeneas Coffey patented in 1830. It is less efficient than today's columns, and precisely for that reason it lets more of the grain texture and sweetness carry over into the distillate.

Does Coffey have anything to do with coffee?

No, it is a surname. There is neither coffee nor coffee aroma in the bottle. The confusion is common enough to be worth settling before you order at a bar.

What is it made from?

Corn and malted barley. The corn provides the round, lightly sweet middle, while the malted barley lays a softer grain layer underneath. The blend follows the same logic that sits behind the house Coffey Grain Whisky.

Why is it filtered through white birch?

Because white birch charcoal works gently. The wood is soft and porous, so the charcoal removes the harsh compounds without also taking the corn sweetness and the texture. Filtered harder, the creamy character would disappear.

Can it be drunk neat?

Yes, and that is how you best sense what it does. Chill it to roughly fridge temperature rather than freezing it, because ice-cold closes the texture down, and texture is the whole matter here.

Which drinks work?

The ones with few ingredients. A Vodka Martini with only a whisper of vermouth shows it off, a Vodka Soda with lemon works too, and an Espresso Martini turns round without turning dull. For a Bloody Mary it is too refined.

Where is Miyagikyo?

In a valley outside Sendai in northern Honshu, where the Nikkawa and Hirosegawa rivers meet. Masataka Taketsuru chose the site in 1969 because the humidity and the water gave a softer style than cooler Yoichi on Hokkaido.

What else does Nikka make?

Japanese whisky across the board. The house is behind Yoichi and Miyagikyo Single Malt, blends such as From The Barrel and Taketsuru, plus a gin. To compare other vodka houses, browse our Vodka brands.