“Nikka Date” is a blended whisky made from malt and grain distilled at the Miyagikyo distillery, with a portion of the grain distilled at the Ben Nevis distillery in Scotland. It is a blended whisky “for Miyagi Prefecture only” that makes the most of the characteristics of Nikka’s special Cafe Malt and Cafe Grain.
 
Nikka Date was released in 2008 and 2009 in limited quantities of 500ml (limited to 36,000 bottles in 2009) to promote the “Sendai-Miyagi [Date Trip] Campaign” as part of sales activities in harmony with the local community. The label at that time had the word “Date” written in white letters on a black base with a large golden crescent moon underneath, and the design of the crescent moon was based on the helmet of Date Masamune.
 
Later, the one released in 2012 was changed to 700ml and released as a year-round product. The taste has also been improved. The bottle in the middle of the photo is the bottle from this period, but the bottle in the store now is the one on the right in the photo. It’s not clear when the label was changed, but some believe it was around the end of 2019.