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I'm no expert on Japanese whisky, but I have sampled a range of products from the land of the rising sun and so have put together this as introduction, this beginners guide to Japanese whisky.
Japanese whisky is not a new fad like the excellent Amrut and Kavalan distilleries; whisky production has been going on for well over a hundred years, and is very much in the style of Scottish whisky; the best kind of whisky. The Japanese do everything regarding distillation and production of whisky in the Scottish mould and as such have a very similar, but still distinct product.
Of course the climate in Japan is very different to that of Scotland, with very cold winters (okay, not that different) and sweltering summers. This cause the evaporation process; known as 'The Angel's Share' to occur much more rapidly than in Scotland. As such a Japanese whisky person may tell you (certainly one has tried to tell me) that Japanese whisky matures more quickly, and a 12 yr Old Japanese whisky is the equivalent in maturation to a 20 yr Old Scottish malt. Of course this is utter nonsense as the key in whisky maturation is contact with the wood, not evaporation; and that's something you just can't rush. If you could then every warehouse up and down Scotland would have central heating!
Anyway onto the whisky. The distillers that you are most likely to come across in specialist stores and online are:
- Hakashu
- Hibiki
- Nikka
- Yamazaki
All fine Japanese names; sort of like their equivilant to the quintessentially Scottish MacDuff distillery.
Yamazaki: Yamazaki is the most well known on these shores having won The Whisky Bible Whisky of the Year in 2015 for the 2014 Sherry Cask release. Yamazaki is part of the Suntory group (Also known as Beam Suntory; who own amongst others, Laphroaig). The Yamazaki 12 yr Old is the most commonly available and is a fine whisky as well as being a great example of how the Japanese do things. Yamazaki treat whisky production very much like a recipe; just as the Scots do, they select a number of suitable barrels from their warehouse and 'vat' them together for bottling. However Yamazaki have a specific percentage of American Oak cask matured whisky, a specific percentage of sherry cask matured whisky and (unfortunately) a specific percentage; I believe 10% Mizunara Oak cask matured whisky. In Scotland they will 'vat' together American Oak and Sherry cask matured whisky (such as in Laphroaig 18 yrs Old), but this is based on the master distiller's palate and decisions. In Japan it is a much stricter recipe in order to (in theory) make production consistent and repeatable.
When I first tried Yamazaki 12 yr Old it was £60; however it is now creeping closer and closer to £100 due to the popularity of Japanese whisky and the weakness of the pound (thanks Brexit). As such there is no value here; for £100 you can buy some 'special' whisky, and this isn't that. I have seen the Distillers Edition along with the sister distillery Hakashu in some branches of Waitrose and Sainsbury's; however when I tried the Distillers Edition I found it to be a significantly inferior product.
I mentioned Mizonara Oak, which is a species native to Japan. It emparts different flavours into the whisy compared to the types of American and European Oak used in the Scottish whisky industry; which have been described as 'sandalwood', 'kara'; a type of oriental incence, as well as having distinctive coconut aroma. I haven't tried specific Mizunara Oak whisky but I suspect that the elements I found unusual and less appealing in the Yamazaki 12 are to do with it's use. A number of people prefered the previous incarnation; the Yamazaki 10, as it did not have Mizunara Oak as part of the recipe. Besides; never trust a whisky that advertises itself with ice; let alone a ****ing ice sphere!
Hibiki: Staying with Suntory; Hibiki is brand of Premium to Luxury blended whisky's that the group produces. For more information on blended whisky see my article on the subject.
Link: Blended Whisky: Pariah or Unexpected Ally? Part 01
Hibiki is certainly well regarded by people I speak to. Having tried the Luxury Hibiki 21, I can report that it was thoroughly enjoyable. In his 2014 edition of The Whisky Bible Jim Murray described it as "Dangerously Drinkable. Do not be fooled that ever part of the range offers excellent quality; I have also drank the the Hibiki Harmony and it is probably the worst whisky that I have drank in the last 12 months. I'd say it was watering and a bit of a nothing taste, but there is elements of flavour there; the problem is that those elements are genuinely unpleasant. I can infact only think of two or three other whisky's that I've enjoyed less; firstly the Auchentoschan American Oak; the second was an independent bottling of Mortlach which was unfortunately ruined by sulphur on the palate; the third was Nikka Coffey Grain, but you'll have to read about that in Part 02:
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