Will you still buy 10y old Nikka Miyagikyo in 2021?

[Iwan]

Knowing that the distillery is only 80km away from Fukushima...

I don't have great faith in governement controll and information in this matter so I'm curious how other people think about this. I'm also wondering if they used local barley last year that was used for the Nikka Miyagikyo malt or does the distillery buy their barley from industrial suppliers?

[rogerdodger]

Knowing that the distillery is only 80km away from Fukushima...

I don't have great faith in governement controll and information in this matter so I'm curious how other people think about this. I'm also wondering if they used local barley last year that was used for the Nikka Miyagikyo malt or does the distillery buy their barley from industrial suppliers?

I wonder how many people worried about drinking Scottish whisky ten years after Chernobyl ?

[AdamMY]

Knowing that the distillery is only 80km away from Fukushima...

I don't have great faith in governement controll and information in this matter so I'm curious how other people think about this. I'm also wondering if they used local barley last year that was used for the Nikka Miyagikyo malt or does the distillery buy their barley from industrial suppliers?

I wonder how many people worried about drinking Scottish whisky ten years after Chernobyl ?

Chernobyl is a hell of a lot farther from Scottland than any distillery in Japan is from Fukashima. I also doubt they had nearly as much in terms of radioactive particle accumulation in Scottland from Chernobyl than the surrounding area's surrounding fukashima.

Before I actually answer this question, I am wondering if someone could answer what percentage of accumulated Radioactive Isotopes would make it through the distillation process into the distillate? And even then you have the half life working on your side with the aging process.

I drink quite a bit of tea, including Japanese greens. While I restricted from what regions I got got Japanese Tea from this past year, the government did a good job testing food products, and banning there sale if it was above the legal limit. (For reference Japan has some of the lowest, if not the lowest limits for radiation in food products). What also goes with the question I asked, is I know in tea, even if the leaves had a certain quantity, the actually amount making it into the tea was a fraction of the content in the leaves. I do not see why making it from grain to wort would be much different, as some of the isotopes are going to be stuck in the grain irregardless of how long is stays in the liquid.

Not to mention with the whisky making process it would need to make it through the distillation process which in my understanding helps remove many impurities.

[bredman]

Chernobyl is a hell of a lot farther from Scottland than any distillery in Japan is from Fukashima. I also doubt they had nearly as much in terms of radioactive particle accumulation in Scottland from Chernobyl than the surrounding area's surrounding fukashima.

You are right Adam. However, afaik some farms here are still banned from selling or moving their sheep. 1% of Chernobyl's radioactive isotopes fell on Scottish and English uplands. Perhaps highlighting the devastating importance of that initial radioactive cloud.

What actually worries the OP specifically, radioactive barley? It could be grown anywhere. It won't be radioactive oak or radioactive particles sat in the warehouses. These particles would show up on a simple search of the distillery grounds. That just leaves background radiation. Public area radiation (the average if you like) in Japan is 0.081 µSv/hr (microsieverts/hour). In Sendai it's 0.113 µSv/hr. Sendai is the nearest large city and the only place listed in the area as higher than average. So yes i shall still buy 10y old Nikka Miyagikyo in 2021.

Although fwiw i agree the OP is right to question the government figures but it doesn't affect the distillery imo.

[Ganga]

I'm not going to worry about it. But then again, I don't know if we'll see much Japanese whisky here to worry about it. Somehow I think the alcohol might be more damaging in the long run.

[rogerdodger]

Chernobyl is a hell of a lot farther from Scottland than any distillery in Japan is from Fukashima. I also doubt they had nearly as much in terms of radioactive particle accumulation in Scottland from Chernobyl than the surrounding area's surrounding fukashima.

As is generally known, the amount of fallout is not directly related to geographical proximity. Rather weather patterns, prevailing winds, rain etc .... are major factors. There have been many studies about this since March 2011 and although a good dose of healthy scepticism can't hurt, they do point to the fact that there was no major fallout over Miyagikyo distillery (as that is what we are talking about here).

Here's an article about Tokyo

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-0 ... risis.html

And there are several places in China and India that have extremely high levels of background radiation. The Grampians also have elevated natural levels of background radiation.

http://www.radiationconsultancyservices ... page1.html

Of course, only if you believe the figures.
Yes, I'll drink Miyagikyo in 10 years (unless I have an x-ray at the dentist's that year !)

[dramtastic]

Well no problem having a healthy sceptisism for govenrments everywhere. In the end though it's Nikka that makes the call on whether their whisky is safe to bottle and drink.

Plenty of stuff on this subject here. Just search throught the archives.

http://nonjatta.blogspot.com.au/

I do and will continue to drink Miyagikyo.

[Iwan]

Somehow I think the alcohol might be more damaging in the long run.

I cannot put anything against that The strongest argument so far...