There are a few other expressions from the distillery to try as well, including the New Born “Foundations 4” blend matured in sherry and other types of casks, and the lightly-eated Usui blend. This is available in fairly limited numbers here in the US, but it’s definitely worth a try if you are a Japanese whisky fan. It’s a fruity dram with notes of vanilla and spice, and being bottled at 96 proof provides a bit of heat that lingers on the palate as you sip.
This whisky, with a name that translates to “white crane,” is the first single malt release from the distillery, a young (at least three years old) blend of liquid aged in bourbon barrels, sherry butts, red wine casks, and Mizunara oak. Akkeshi is located in the far north of Japan on the island of Hokkaido, with a wet, cool climate that is likened to that of Islay in Scotland. This distillery is a newcomer in the world of Japanese whisky, having only begun operations in 2016. That collection is ridiculously expensive, but the blend of cask types, peated and unpeated whiskies, and even shape of the stills are what defines Yamazaki, so even having that as a reference point can be helpful.
Suntory released the Tsukuriwake Selection a few months ago, which broke down the whisky into its separate elements based on barrel type: Puncheon, Peated Malt, Spanish Oak, and Mizunara. The 12-year-old is the core expression from Yamazaki that Suntory launched way back in 1984, the same year Gremlins came out if you need a pop culture reference point. Sure, some secondary market retailers are still charging close to a grand, but if you look around you should be able to find a bottle that’s a splurge but not a dealbreaker. There is some good news regarding this Japanese whisky classic–it still isn’t cheap exactly (usually around $200 per bottle), but it seems to be more attainable than it was just a year or two ago. Here are some of the best Japanese whiskies you can find now, in both the true Japanese whisky and world whisky categories. “As the industry matures and the regulations are recognized, there will be less brands ‘faking it until they make it.’ It will be an evolution, a curve, until we reach a level of transparency all the way to the consumer.” After all, that’s all whisky fans are asking for, just to know what exactly is in the bottle, which seems like a pretty reasonable request. “Even though Japanese whisky is growing as a category, it is quite small compared to other global whisky categories,” he said. And Nikka, the other big producer, has updated its website to reflect which expressions can be called Japanese whisky and which are world whiskies.Įlliott firmly believes that these new standards will benefit the industry as a whole. To its credit, Suntory has been a supporter of the new regulations, even though the bottlings from its Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita distilleries already meet the qualifications of true Japanese whisky. Chichibu is another distillery that touts its “world blends,” which are a marriage of whisky from the same five countries as Ao. This is not to say that the practice of sourcing whisky from other countries to blend together is inherently a bad thing, but these rules will ensure more transparency by labeling this type of whisky as “world whisky.” Suntory has embraced this title with its Ao whisky, and the brand tells you exactly which distilleries the blend comes from on its website (Scotland, America, Canada, Ireland, and Japan). Get the latest intel on which bottles of booze are worth your hard-earned cash. It protects those who have invested in actual distilleries, stills and the like, as opposed to those who are only bottling in Japan and sourcing finished spirits from other countries.” “The new JSLMA regulations allow for a more level playing field for all producers. “Opportunistic companies who have benefited from the lack of regulation or enforceable definition of Japanese whisky will no longer be able to deceive a consumer into buying what they believe to be Japanese whisky,” wrote Elliott in an email. But since it technically meets the TTB definition of whiskey here in the US, it can be labeled as such (more about this later, because there are some good rice whiskies out there).
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They can also make “whisky” out of rice, which according to Elliott is really considered barrel-aged shochu in Japan and made under license for that category, not whisky. Producers can import whisky distilled anywhere in the world, bottle it in Japan, and call it Japanese whisky. The reason for this change is that up until now, that bottle of Japanese whisky you paid a premium for might not actually contain whisky made in Japan. When a Bottle of Costco Bourbon Is Something More.The Hands Down Best Booze to Drink Right Now.The Hands-Down Best Single Malt Scotch to Drink.
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