The Story behind Nikka Frontier, the Whisky That Carries On the "Frontier Spirit"?

On Tuesday, October 1, 2024, Nikka Frontier, Nikka Whisky’s first new year-round product in four years, was released.
In this article, we commemorate the launch of Nikka Frontier and introduce not only its features and appeal, but also the story behind the product's development and the thoughts that went into it in detail. We hope you enjoy the article!

What is Nikka Frontier?

Product Overview

Product Name	Nikka Frontier
Release date	Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Type	Blended whisky
Capacity	500ml
ABV	48%
Suggested retail price	2,000 yen (excluding tax)
Official website	Nikka Frontier Brand Page

About Nikka Whisky Distilling Co., Ltd.

THE NIKKA WHISKY DISTILLING CO. LTD. was founded by Masataka Taketsuru, known as the father of Japanese whisky, driven by his desire to "create authentic whisky in Japan." The company's history began in 1934 in Yoichi, Hokkaido, as Dainippon Fruit Juice Co., and in 2024, it celebrates its 90th anniversary.

The "pioneer spirit" and "commitment to quality first" cherished by the founder have been carried on to this day, and now, as part of the Asahi Group, the company continues its whisky and other alcoholic beverage businesses.
With its 90th anniversary as a milestone, Nikka Whisky has adopted the new communication concept of "Savour the joy of life" and is turning a new page in its history—making it impossible to take your eyes off Nikka Whisky!

Features and Appeal of Nikka Frontier

The Four Challenges of Nikka Frontier

Nikka Frontier reexamines the conventional standards of whisky-making and incorporates advanced techniques.

Nikka Frontier Challenge 1: The Key Malt Made at Yoichi

The key malt chosen for Nikka Frontier is the heavily peated malt from the globally acclaimed Yoichi Distillery.

The rare and labor-intensive traditional method of coal-fired direct distillation, combined with the rich, smoky flavor imparted by peat, forms the robust backbone of Nikka Frontier.

Nikka Frontier Challenge 2: Rich Depth with High Alcohol Content

While it is common to dilute whisky before bottling to an alcohol content of around 40%–43%, Nikka Frontier limits dilution to achieve a 48% alcohol content, resulting in a rich flavor that stands up even when made into a highball.

Nikka Frontier Challenge 3: A Distinctive Character with a High Malt Ratio

Most blended whiskies use a higher proportion of grain whisky than malt whisky, but Nikka Frontier is a malt-based blended whisky with over 51% malt whisky. This allows you to fully enjoy the complex and deep character of the malt.

Nikka Frontier Challenge 4: Non-Chill Filtration to Preserve the Original Flavor

While whisky is often chill-filtered before bottling to remove cloudiness, Nikka Frontier is deliberately non-chill filtered (filtered at room temperature), retaining plenty of the flavor components of the whisky.

Each of these individual challenges has created the distinctive flavor of Nikka Frontier—truly a 'new frontier of smoky aroma.'

Can Be Enjoyed in a Variety of Ways

With its 'new frontier of smoky aroma,' Nikka Frontier offers a bold flavor that stands up in highballs—hugely popular among young people—and can also be enjoyed straight, on the rocks, with water, and in many other ways!

Additionally, Nikka Whisky recommends the 'Float Highball,' where Nikka Frontier is floated on top of soda water, as a suggested way to enjoy it.

The reason for not mixing it into a highball right away is to let you savor Nikka Frontier’s smoky aroma and richness as it is, and enjoy the transition from straight to highball.

This method was developed with the hope that even those who rarely drink whisky in ways other than highballs can better appreciate its aroma and flavor. For more details, please see the interview section later in this article!

Familiar Domestic Whisky at an Affordable Price

Nikka Frontier was developed with a focus on reaching more people, and despite generating buzz even before its release, it is available at affordable prices in convenience stores and supermarkets!
* Some stores do not carry the product.

Background of Nikka Frontier’s Development

We spoke with Eiichi Sakamoto, Product Brand Leader of the Global Business Strategy Department at THE NIKKA WHISKY DISTILLING CO. LTD., about the behind-the-scenes stories and passion behind the development of Nikka Frontier.

Aiming for Nikka Whisky Full of Challenging Spirit

Dear WHISKY：
What inspired and motivated the development of this new flagship product?

Mr. Sakamoto:
It’s about acquiring a new image. As one of Japan’s leading whisky makers, Nikka Whisky is well known both domestically and internationally, but there is a significant difference in the brand image between Japan and overseas.

Dear WHISKY：
What are the brand images of Nikka Whisky in Japan and abroad?

Mr. Sakamoto:
In Japan, we are valued for our "tradition, authenticity, and trust," but we are not often seen as stylish, cool, or adventurous.

In contrast, overseas, Nikka Whisky is seen as innovative, and in the UK magazine "Drinks International 2024," it was ranked No. 1 in the TOP TRENDING BRANDS category.

As Nikka Whisky celebrates its 90th anniversary, we wanted to establish an innovative image in Japan, similar to how we are perceived overseas.

Dear WHISKY：
How is that goal reflected in your 90th anniversary project?

Mr. Sakamoto:
To mark its 90th anniversary, Nikka Whisky has launched initiatives such as the release of the 90th anniversary whisky "The Nikka Nine Decades" and the opening of bars like "THE NIKKA WHISKY TOKYO," where guests can experience Nikka Whisky's concept of "Savour the joy of life." These efforts are aimed at giving Nikka Whisky a fresh new image.
For example, THE NIKKA WHISKY TOKYO features two bar areas. At 'The Lounge -MEET-', you can enjoy cocktails based on Nikka Whisky products, each enhanced with a unique 'one factor'—a creative touch added to 11 cocktails selected from the world's top 50. At 'The Bar -EXPLORE-', classic cocktails served in 'The Lounge -MEET-' are reinterpreted and reinvented by 13 of Japan’s leading bars, allowing you to enjoy freely twisted versions of these classics.

Dear WHISKY：
Why do you focus on serving classic cocktails?

Mr. Sakamoto:
First and foremost, we wanted guests to experience the tradition and trust Nikka Whisky has built over the years through classic cocktails, and to discover (MEET) the appeal and diverse ways to enjoy whisky and Nikka Whisky.
Furthermore, by having Japan's top bartenders reinterpret classic cocktails and serve them as "innovative" and "cool" creations, we hope guests will EXPLORE new facets of whisky and Nikka Whisky.

To Further Elevate Whisky

Dear WHISKY：
Who would you recommend Nikka Frontier to?

Mr. Sakamoto:
Currently, I believe more consumers in Japan are drinking whisky, especially driven by the highball boom.
Nikka Frontier was developed not for the core fans who prefer whisky straight or on the rocks, but for intermediate whisky drinkers who became interested in whisky through highballs and now want to explore and try different styles.

Dear WHISKY：
Why target intermediate whisky drinkers?

Mr. Sakamoto:
It’s the perfect whisky for those who usually drink highballs to experience the diverse appeal of whisky.

Nikka Frontier is a whisky with a rich flavor that stands up well in highballs, but its bold taste and aroma also shine when enjoyed on the rocks or straight. So even those who usually only drink highballs can enjoy it if they decide to try other ways of drinking whisky!

We hope that by trying whisky in ways other than highballs, people will discover new charms of whisky and come to love it even more.

The Passion Behind Nikka Frontier

Carrying Forward the Frontier Spirit of Founder Masataka Taketsuru

Dear WHISKY：
What is the story behind Nikka Frontier?

Mr. Sakamoto:
Nikka Whisky has a history of valuing the "Frontier Spirit" that has been passed down from Masataka Taketsuru.
For example, Black Nikka Clear, one of Nikka Whisky’s signature products, was created as a new challenge—deliberately not using the smoky flavor that Masataka Taketsuru was particular about. In other words, it was a product born from the "Frontier Spirit."

Nikka Frontier was created to revisit Nikka Whisky’s DNA on the occasion of its 90th anniversary, and to carry forward the frontier spirit of founder Masataka Taketsuru, who pioneered the history of Japanese whisky.

Dear WHISKY：
What is the focus of the bottle design?

Mr. Sakamoto:
To inherit the founder’s frontier spirit and make Nikka Frontier a symbolic product of Nikka Whisky, the initial 'N' from the company logo is prominently placed at the center.
We adopted an innovative design that showcases the color of the whisky itself, aiming to create a catchy and memorable impression.

While maintaining its innovative look, we also incorporated Nikka Whisky’s iconic emblem and the shimenawa motif wrapped around the pot stills at the distillery, striving for a balanced design that conveys the brand’s sincere approach to craftsmanship.

Dear WHISKY：
How did you express the frontier spirit in the flavor profile?

Mr. Sakamoto:
Nikka Frontier features a malt content of over 51% and uses heavily peated malt from Yoichi Distillery as its key malt, resulting in a flavor that truly embodies its tagline: "A new frontier, rich with smoky aroma." This smokiness is not overpowering, but rather intentionally lingers gently in the aftertaste.
Of course, we could have gone for a strong smoky character, but to allow more people to appreciate the many facets of whisky, we chose to express a gentle peatiness.

Dear WHISKY：
What was the most challenging aspect of achieving your ideal flavor?

Mr. Sakamoto:
Yoichi's heavy peat malt is a malt with a very strong personality, and it is often the case that just adding a little to the blend can drastically change its character, and it was very difficult to balance it during development.

Thanks to the efforts of our blenders, we have been able to create a flavor that tempers any overpowering characteristics, resulting in a taste that anyone can enjoy.

Dear WHISKY：
Why did you go to the trouble of choosing the challenging Yoichi heavily peated malt as the key malt?

Mr. Sakamoto:
Yoichi is not only the birthplace of Masataka Taketsuru’s and Nikka Whisky’s pioneering spirit, but also home to the Yoichi Single Cask, which was the first in Japan to be named the world’s best. For these reasons, and because the theme of our product development is 'carrying on the frontier spirit,' we could not overlook Yoichi. That’s why we chose Yoichi’s heavily peated malt.

Through Yoichi’s heavily peated malt, we hope that consumers will become interested in Nikka Whisky’s dedication to whisky-making and the story of Masataka Taketsuru.

Dare Not Stick to Japanese Whisky

Dear WHISKY：
Is Nikka Frontier a Japanese whisky?

Mr. Sakamoto:
Nikka Frontier uses several imported base whiskies, including malt whisky from Ben Nevis, a distillery owned by Nikka. Therefore, it does not meet the definition of Japanese whisky.

Dear WHISKY：
Why did you decide to make a whisky that is not classified as Japanese whisky?

Mr. Sakamoto:
This is because we developed it without being constrained by the framework of Japanese whisky in various aspects.
From the very beginning, Nikka Whisky has used imported whiskies, and we have always approached whisky-making with a flexible mindset, not limiting ourselves to only our own products if it means creating something our customers will enjoy. For this release as well, we blended imported whiskies from Ben Nevis Distillery and others to craft a delicious whisky.

The key malt is Yoichi’s heavily peated malt, but since it is very distinctive, its proportion is not that large, and we have adjusted the peat so that it leaves a pleasant aroma in the finish. The sweet, vibrant top notes come from Miyagikyo malt and Ben Nevis malt. By not restricting ourselves to only Japanese whisky, we were able to broaden the flavor profile.

Dear WHISKY：
What other benefits did you gain?

Mr. Sakamoto:
Imported whiskies have also contributed in terms of supply volume. While Nikka Whisky produces Japanese whiskies such as Taketsuru, Yoichi, and Miyagikyo, I don’t think we have always been able to deliver enough of these Japanese whiskies to our consumers.

That’s why, from the development stage, Nikka Frontier aimed to be shipped in quantities that more people could access, and we challenged ourselves to create a blend using imported whiskies to achieve a more stable supply. We will continue to strive to provide a steady and ample supply in the future.

Float Highball: Introducing More People to the Depth and Enjoyment of Whisky

Dear WHISKY：
Why did you develop the float highball?

Mr. Sakamoto:
Nikka Frontier was developed as a whisky that could serve as an entry point for those who first encounter whisky through highballs and are looking to discover their own preferred way to enjoy it. The float highball was created so that these people could enjoy whisky even more.

Dear WHISKY：
What exactly is the Float Highball?

Mr. Sakamoto:
The Float Highball is a way of serving whisky floated on top of soda water, so the upper part of the glass starts off almost like straight whisky, allowing you to clearly experience the wonderful aroma of Nikka Frontier.
Furthermore, for those who find drinking whisky straight to be a bit daunting, the float highball allows you to first enjoy the aroma and then savor it as a highball, letting you experience the changing flavors as well.

Nikka Frontier is characterized by its smokiness and rich malt aroma, so we believe the Float Highball is a perfect way to enjoy it.

Dear WHISKY：
How do you make a float highball?

Mr. Sakamoto:
The steps are simple and easy. You can enjoy it in a variety of situations and settings!

(1) Fill a glass with a large amount of ice.
2. Slowly pour carbonated water into the glass for 7 to 8 minutes and wait for the surface to settle.
3. Finally, gently pour the whisky over the back of a spoon placed on the surface of the soda water or ice, and your float highball is complete.

The float highball made in this way looks beautiful, and many people have posted about it on social media or discovered it through those posts. I am very happy that people can experience the aroma and smokiness of Nikka Frontier through the float highball.

At Last

That concludes our introduction to the background and passion behind the development of Nikka Whisky’s new product, Nikka Frontier!
I felt that Nikka Frontier is a whisky crafted with various innovations so that more people can enjoy whisky.
As Nikka Whisky carries on the "Frontier Spirit" passed down from Masataka Taketsuru, I am filled with excitement to see what kinds of whiskies they will create for their 100th anniversary and beyond!