Back in 2015, Nikka announced they were discontinuing their age statement and No Age Statement (NAS) releases for the Yoichi and Miyagikyo labels and consolidating them into two new bottlings. These whiskies have now arrived in Australia. Two NAS versions that differ slightly to the previous versions now represent the entire portfolio. It was yet another move that triggered a buying rush. Reports have it that Tokyo is now pretty much out of age statement Japanese whiskies, unless you visit bars or auction houses.
Nikka's reasons for the radical new strategy are now familiar. They simply have no old stocks to sell.
Decades ago, both local and world demand for Japanese malts was low, so few barrels were being laid down for extended periods.