Nikka launches limited edition ‘Nine Decades’ whiskey to mark 90th anniversary; Suggested retail price ¥330,000

The Nikka Whiskey Distilling Co. announced Wednesday the release of “The Nikka Nine Decades,” a commemorative 700-milliliter bottle of whiskey celebrating the distiller’s 90th anniversary.

More than 150 varieties of single-barrel whiskey have been used to create the product, and the suggested retail price is ¥330,000, including tax. The product is available in a limited edition of 4,000 bottles in Japan and abroad. It will be sold mainly in hotel bars.

Nikka, a subsidiary of Asahi Breweries, Ltd., also announced plans to invest approximately 6 billion yen to expand whiskey production facilities and alleviate the shortage of single-barrel whiskey caused by the highball boom and other factors . The investment will finance the construction of a new whiskey barrel storage facility and the purchase of barrels for the company’s Tochigi factory in Sakura, Tochigi Prefecture. The Tochigi plant’s storage facility, expected to be operational in September, will increase the distiller’s storage capacity by 10%.

Nikka invested about ¥12 billion between 2015 and 2021 to strengthen its whiskey production. Kazuo Matsuyama, president of Asahi Breweries, said at a recent press conference in Tokyo: “There is no prospect of solving the shortage of single-barrel whiskey. We will continue to invest in facilities after 2025.”