As the name suggests, Japanese whisky is whisky made in Japan. Whisky production in Japan began around 1870, but the first commercial production was in 1924 upon the opening of the country's first distillery, Yamazaki.
Japanese whisky is more similar to that of Scotch Whisky than other major styles of whisky. The production of Japanese whisky began as a conscious effort to recreate the style of Scotch whisky. By 2024, products labeled as "Japanese whisky" will conform to new regulations. Japanese whisky must be fermented, distilled, and aged, and bottled in Japan, use some portion of malted grain in its mash, and use water sourced from Japan.
In Scotland, there are around 100 distilleries. Japan has less than a dozen. In Scotland, distilleries trade raw distillates among themselves to create blended Scotches. However, in Japan, it is very uncommon for distilleries to trade raw distillates with other distilleries. Japan has a unique system where a single distillery produces multiple different distillates. This forces all innovation to come from within the company. Usually, companies own different distilleries in different microclimates all over Japan which they can use to make their blended whiskies.
In Japan, a pure malt is the equivalent of a blended malt Scotch. They are made from a blend of 100% malted barley, pot still distilled whiskies.
Like Scotch, Japanese whisky relies heavily on malted barley that is often peated and sometimes even imported from Scotland. The malted barley is mashed and distilled twice in pot stills, yielding more residual congeners. Other column-distilled grain whiskies may be blended in, if it’s a single malt. Also, like Scotch, Japanese whisky is wood-aged, sometimes in American oak, sometimes in Sherry casks, and sometimes in Japanese Mizunara oak, which imparts unique characteristics.
For beginners
As Japanese whisky is modeled after a Scotch and usually has the same peaty taste, it might be a difficult whisky for beginners if you aren’t used to drinking whisky. However, some people prefer the peatiness of a Japanese or Scotch whisky over something “smoother” or softer like an Irish whiskey. Japanese whiskies are quite expensive compared to others, but here are some suggestions:
- Suntory Toki: Toki, meaning time in Japanese, is a blended Japanese whisky. It is the product of malt whisky produced at Suntory's Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries blended with Suntory's grain produced at the Chita distillery.
- Kamiki: Kamiki is a unique blended malt whisky made using Japanese malt whiskies combined with specially selected malt whiskies from around the world. After blending, the whisky is finished in casks made from yoshino-sugi. It's a particularly aromatic type of wood, and Kamiki is said to be the first whisky ever to enjoy a yoshino-sugi cask finish. Non-chillfiltered and bottled at 48%.
- White Oak Akashi Malt: Matured in three different types of casks: Spanish sherry oak, American oak and ex-bourbon casks. Non-chillfiltered, naturally coloured and bottled at 46%.
Conclusion
Japanese whisky is another category of whisky that I am not too familiar with. One of my goals for 2023 is to expand my knowledge and appreciation of Japanese whisky as well as Canadian whisky. The Japanese whiskies that I recommend above are a great starting point for any whisky enthusiast looking to get into Japanese whisky.
The Kamiki whisky is one of my favorites to carry around with me in my Leather Whiskey Carrier, especially for those special occasions.
