Japanese Whisky
Japan did not have a commercial whisky distillery until 1923, when Shinjiro Torii opened Suntory outside of Kyoto. Suntory’s first distiller was Masataka Taketsuru, a Scotch whisky enthusiast and engineer who learned the art of whisky-making in Scotland. Japanese whisky is thus made in the Scotch style, with a focus on malted barley; expressions are bottled as both blends and single malts, with many distilleries today using traditional pot stills and importing peat and barley from Scotland. Despite its Scottish roots, Japanese whisky has increasingly distinguished itself in quality and style. Because the Japanese whisky industry is vertically integrated, blends are almost always created in-house from one producer’s stocks. The unique flavors of Japanese whisky are often attributed to long fermentation times and unique yeast strains, which are used to create a crystal clear wort prior to distillation. The turn of the century growth in the popularity of whisky, and in single malts in particular, has led to a global explosion in the demand for Japanese whisky.
Top Japanese Whisky Posts:
A Visit to Suntory’s Yamazaki Distillery
5 Whiskies from Japan’s Nikka Distillery
Kaiyo Japanese Mizunara Oak Whisky
Suntory Whisky Toki
Talking Toki with Suntory Master Blender Shinji Fukuyo
Japanese whisky isn’t easy to come by these days. As such, it’s always exciting to see a new brand hit the market, and here we have a new bottling, complete with kanji script on the label: Hatozaki. Hatozaki is made at Kaikyo Distillery (location: unknown), but it isn’t all distilled here, including both malt and…
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Another year is in the books for San Francisco WhiskyFest, a typically packed event with hundreds of whiskeys to explore… plus, for those confused on where they are, libations from The Mocktail Project. My dance card was full of whiskies from around the world, with highlights to be found in just about every region. My…
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Hey Japanese whisky fans, if you’re frustrated by your inability to find Suntory and Nikka products, there’s a new option on the market to consider, called Shinobu. Formally billed as The Shinobu Blended Whisky Mizunara Oak, Shinobu is made by the eponymous distillery in Niigata Prefecture, about 200 miles north of Tokyo. Shinobu isn’t distilled…
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That’s two years in a row with no major injuries – woo! Whiskies of the World 2019 is in the books, at least its San Francisco installment, and that means another spring evening of Scotch, bourbon, and fettuccine alfredo has come to a close. My American whiskey love affair of WotW 2018 reversed itself for…
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The importers at ImpEx have been on a tear lately; their latest acquisition is four new expressions of Japanese whiskey from Fukano, all of which are being released in very small numbers (with some 1200 to 5500 bottles of each hitting the market globally). All four limited edition expressions are blends of stock between the…
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2018 marks our eleventh annual holiday gift guide, and we’re hoping this year really gets you in the spirit of giving at Christmas. Ha! Seriously, you’ll need it. Prices are creeping ever higher, especially on popular categories like whiskey, and stocks of some of the most prized products seem to be more limited than ever this…
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Another WhiskyFest is in the books, and although the lines for iconic bottles like Pappy van Winkle, Macallan No. 3 and No. 4, and Glenfiddich 30 Years Old (which those in the queue were surprised to find was not actually on hand when they got to the front of the line) were long, on the…
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In the world of whisky, Japan is finally starting to see some competition. As much as I love Suntory and Nikka, it’s been a delight to see whiskies from the likes of Ohishi make it to the U.S. Now another new player has entered the game: Kaiyo, which has a story as interesting as any…
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Master distillers get all the press, but their work is basically done before a whisky ever goes into the barrel. When it comes to putting out a finished product, the master blender rolls up his sleeves. In the case of Japan’s Suntory whisky operation, which spans three distilleries in the country, that task falls to…
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While The Yamazaki and Hukushu distilleries are Suntory’s best-known operations, it actually runs a third called The Chita. Officially known as The SunGrain Chita Distillery, it’s Suntory’s youngest distillery, in operation since 1972. You won’t find a lot of pictures of it online because, well, it’s not such a beautiful site, with an industrial design…
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