Nikka Whisky tasting bar — Restaurant in Yoichi

This is the place where you can truly understand the difference between real whisky 🥃 and the sewer water sold in supermarkets.

The line might look long at first, but the staff moves quickly, so the wait is usually around 10 minutes. While you're in line, you can browse the full range of products on display and decide what you want to try.

Forget the cheap options — you can find those at any supermarket. Either skip them or do what I did: get one glass just for comparison. That’s when the real difference hits you.

This is the only distillery in Japan that doesn’t dilute their whisky from 53% down to 43%, preserving all the flavor and aroma.

You can confidently go with the recommended options or choose something premium based on the flavor description. You won’t go wrong — they’re all excellent. The only difference is which taste you personally prefer: smoke, wooden barrels, and dried beef, or vanilla, chocolate, and fruit.

There’s even a 10ml whisky for 10,000 yen. If money’s no issue, it’s worth trying at least once.

The pours are fairly small, so I recommend getting at least six glasses. If you’re with someone, order a variety and share — it’s a tasting, not a drinking...

This bar has a very affordable list of whiskey sampling, and an inventory that is larger than the samples from the free tour itself! We tried a few during the visit to the museum, on a weekday early afternoon. It is not crowded, however there are no seats available. Only tables.

I recommend stopping here to try some of their whiskey, especially if you plan to purchase some from the gift shop or at the bar directly. It'll help give you a better taste of what you'll...

Highly recommend to stop at the Tasting Bar, they have a quick museum story about the founder, tasting bar of your choice and the sets.

There is restaurant but I didn’t go so can’t give any star reviews

Big car park, has souvenirs...