Japanese Whisky: A celebration of Japan’s culture
Whisky Business: City PM’s monthly look at the world of whisky.
April 1st marked Japanese Whisky Day, the annual event designed to celebrate and showcase Japanese whisky.
While the drink has gained recognition in recent years, it’s still fighting for a place on the shelf alongside Scotch, Irish and Bourbon.
It might come as a surprise, but London is leading the way when it comes to the prevalence of this drink. Sexy Fish, an Asian restaurant and bar located on the corner of Berkeley Square, Mayfair, holds the world’s biggest Japanese whisky collection, with over 400 bottles available to choose from.
A unique history
Whisky production in Japan began around 1870, but the first commercial production commenced on April 1st, 1923, when Shinjiro Torii opened what is now Japan’s oldest malt whisky distillery. Owned by the Suntory Group, The Yamazaki Distillery, at the foot of Mt. Tennozan, southwest of Kyoto, is Japan’s first and oldest malt whisky distillery.
Torii hired Masataka Taketsuru, a young chemist who had diligently studied the art of whisky making firsthand in Scotland, to carry the baton of the distillery. He’s now regarded as the founder of the Japanese whisky industry. Japanese Whisky Day commemorates this landmark day and is widely regarded as the birth of what’s now a near-$900m a year industry.
Taketsuru’s family owned a stake in a sake brewery and he travelled to Scotland in 1918 to study organic chemistry and distilling at the University of Glasgow.
In April 1919, he started a series of apprenticeships in the Scotch industry. He began his apprenticeship at Longmorn distillery in Strathspey before moving to James Calder & Co.’s Bo’ness distillery in the Lowlands region. His last apprenticeship began in May 1920 at Hazelburn distillery.
The partnership between Torii and Taketsuru lasted a decade before the latter left in 1934 to found his own distilling company, Dai Nippon Kaju K.K., in Yoichi on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. As the story goes, he chose to base his new company on this island as it reminded him of Scotland. The company was later renamed Nikka, and it sold its first bottles in 1940.
Today, Suntory is a sprawling conglomerate that produces everything from bottled water to fruit juice, supplements, beer, and whisky. Along with Nikka, it remains one of the world’s most visible Japanese whisky producers.
The Japanese way
Japanese whisky is typically distilled from rice, barley, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, or brown sugar, usually at around 25 per cent ABV. From 2024, products labeled as “Japanese whisky” had to be fermented, distilled, aged and bottled in Japan, use some portion of malted grain in the mash, and use water sourced from Japan.
The Japanese whisky industry is also relatively unique in the way it blends whisky. It’s common for blended Scotch whisky to use a mix of whiskies from different distilleries, sometimes from other parts of Scotland.
However, in Japan, producers keep their blends in-house, meaning that whisky companies own both the distilleries and the brands of blended whiskies and do not trade with their competitors. So a blended whisky in Japan will generally only contain malt whisky from the distilleries owned by that same company.
Single malts are also relatively rare in the market (although this is changing). Blends dominate the market, and Japanese whisky is often drunk mixed with hot water o-yu-wari, particularly in winter, or cold water mizu-wari, particularly in summer, when drinking the spirit with soda water is common. The preference for long drinks stems from the hot, muggy Japanese summer.
Scotch influence
While Japanese whisky has its origins in Scotch, it is usually designed with balance in mind—a balance of flavours rather than a single dominant characteristic. Japanese distillers also bring their unique attention to detail to the craft of distillation.
Distillers pay immense attention to detail, from water purity and yeast selection to cask management and blending, and Japan’s varied climate then shapes the qualities of these components. Significant temperature and humidity swings influence whisky maturation differently than the steadier maritime climate of much of Scotland. The use of native Mizunara oak imparts unique and sought-after notes of sandalwood, incense, and coconut.
The balance and versatility of Japanese whisky make it the perfect choice for drinkers both at the beginning of their whisky journey and those with a more developed palate. And as the weather brightens up as we head into Spring, where better to enjoy a drink than the Lucky Cat Bar on the 60th floor at 22 Bishopsgate – the City’s highest bar.
The bar offers unique Japanese takes on traditional cocktails, such as the Okinawa Margarita, alongside bold options such as the Polynesian Punch.
For something truly unique, try the Gohan Old Fashioned—the house blend of Suntory Toki, Maker’s Mark, Rabbit Hole Heigold, and Laphroaig 10-year-old whiskies, washed in sushi rice and finished with sugar and bitters. It’s truly a taste experience and a fantastic spin on a classic whisky cocktail.
Four bottles to try
The all-rounder
Toki
A blended whisky from Suntory’s three distilleries: Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita. This is a round and sweet blend with a refreshing citrus character and a spicy finish. 43 per cent ABV, £34.50
Sake influences
Hatozaki Blended
Hatozaki is from Kaikyo Distillery, Japan which started as the Akashi Sake Brewery in 1856 and the notes of Sake come through in this spirit. A well-balanced combination of malt and grain whiskies, sourced from Japan and overseas. 40 per cent ABV. £40.
The complex one
Nikka Coffee Grain
Matured in old casks such as re-filled, remade and re-charred casks originally made from American oak. Notes of sweet spice, mango and papaya aromas, candied orange peel and coconut. 45% ABV. £60
A masterclass in balance
Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve
A fresh and slightly smoky Japanese single malt whisky with citrus notes that evokes the fresh water and mountains of Japan. A masterclass in balance and the skill of Japanese whisky. 43 per cent ABV. £59.