Whisky Type Profile - Japanese Whisky

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Japanese Whisky

9 Producers

Overall, Japanese Whisky is known for:

Vanilla

(41)

Honey

(37)

Oak

(32)

Smoked

(26)

Sandalwood

(23)

Dried Apricot

(20)

Whisky Type Overview

Japanese whisky is a style of whisky developed and produced 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. Broadly speaking, the style of Japanese whisky is more similar to that of Scotch whisky than other major styles of whisky. There are several companies producing whisky in Japan, but the two best-known and most widely available are Suntory and Nikka. Both of these produce blended as well as single malt whiskies and blended malt whiskies, with their main blended whiskies being Suntory kakubin and Black Nikka Clear. Two of the most influential figures in the history of Japanese whisky are Shinjiro Torii and Masataka Taketsuru. Torii was a pharmaceutical wholesaler and the founder of Kotobukiya (later to become Suntory). He started importing western liquor and he later created a brand called "Akadama Port Wine", based on a Portuguese wine which made him a successful merchant. However, he was not satisfied with this success and so he embarked on a new venture which was to become his life's work: making Japanese whisky for Japanese people. Despite the strong opposition from the company's executives, Torii decided to build the first Japanese whisky distillery in Yamazaki, a suburb of Kyoto, an area so famous for its excellent water that the legendary tea master Sen no Rikyū built his tearoom there. Torii hired Masataka Taketsuru as a distillery executive. Taketsuru had studied the art of distilling in Scotland, and brought this knowledge back to Japan in the early 1920s. While working for Kotobukiya he played a key part in helping Torii establish the Yamazaki Distillery. In 1934 he left Kotobukiya to form his own company—Dainipponkaju—which would later change its name to Nikka. In this new venture he established the Yoichi distillery in Hokkaidō. By the 2020s, Japanese distilleries were importing spirits for use in blends. The Japanese government passed legislation in 2021 legally defining "Japanese whisky", with implementation by 2024. Products labeled as "Japanese whisky" will conform to new regulations: whisky must be fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled in Japan, use some portion of malted grain in its mash, and use water sourced from Japan. Read more...