Mizunara adds an incense-like flavor to some of their whiskies. “Every oak matures the whisky flavor a different way. “They use mizunara, which is Japanese oak,” Roskrow explains. While the production process is the same as traditional Scottish whisky, Japanese whisky does have distinctive notes.
It might sound like a trend, but as Brian Ashcraft, author of Japanese Whisky: The Ultimate Guide to the World’s Most Desirable Spirit, says, “This isn’t empty hype… Japan makes excellent whisky.” And no one’s sure how much Japanese whisky has been drunk and how much is sitting in the cupboards of collectors across the world.” Japanese whisky is now incredibly rare and collectable. “There are bars which offer 15 or 20 Karuizawas – and you’re talking about £200 or £300 for just a shot. “Karuizawas have become as collectable as any whisky in the world,” says Roskrow. And whiskies from the now-defunct Karuizawa distillery can fetch over £25,000 per bottle on the secondary market. Instead, the company put two non-age statement whiskies into the market. Nikka was forced to stop selling aged whiskies because they were running out of the stuff and would have gone bankrupt.
Suntory’s Hakushu 12-year-old – the whisky drank by and made globally famous by Bill Murray in Lost in Translation – has ceased sales altogether. Yamazaki – the signature whisky from Suntory aged 18 years or over – is now virtually unfindable. It started to become slightly exotic and mysterious.” “It’s a simple case that they laid down these whiskies but they didn’t lay down enough to meet increased demands. Sweet and creamy on the palate, with spiced notes of vanilla oak, butter brioche and lime zest bitterness.“Some of the whiskies from Suntory and Nikka won so many awards that they ran out,” says Dom Roskrow, editor of Whisky Quarterly and author of Whisky Japan. A refreshing nose of strawberry, dried cranberry, toffee, cereal and a hint of incense, which comes from the Mizunara oak. It has been aged in Bordeaux wine barrels, which give it distinct red fruit notes, in addition to ex-Sherry casks and the native Mizunara oak. This single malt whisky is from Japan’s oldest distillery, Yamazaki of Suntory. Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve Single Malt Whisky A perfumed nose of potpourri, candied citrus fruits, sweet vanilla and raisins, sweet and smooth, with honey, butterscotch, cigar box bitterness and white pepper on the palate, complex and long. The ‘Japanese Harmony’ version of Hibiki is a blend of malt whiskies from the Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries and aged in a blend of casks including American white oak, Sherry barrels and the native Mizunara oak. The Hibiki brand was first launched in 1989 to commemorate Suntory’s 90th anniversary. Bright amber coloured, with woody dried tangerine peels, bruised apple, malt, creamed sweet corn on the nose, followed by a pungent flavour profile of caramel, candied citrus, roasted nuts and vanilla. After blending, the liquid goes into used barrels for another few months to smooth out the edges.
#Best japanese whiskey full#
Alc 40%Ī blended whisky from Nikka’s Miyagikyo and Yoichi distilleries that supposedly deliver full flavours and richness ‘from barrels’. It features a slightly peated nose of salted caramel, coconut, citrus peel and sweet spices, light-weighted and saline on the palate, smooth and creamy, filled with ripe orchard fruits. Made from a combination of Scottish malt and Canadian grain in the Chugoku distillery in the town of Togouchi, this blended whisky is aged in an abandoned railway tunnel. Rounded and buttery on the palate, with bitter grapefruit peels, vanilla and white pepper on the palate, followed by a spicy finish. Honeyed vanilla jumps out from the glass, followed by malt, butterscotch and minty freshness. This is a blended whisky made with a minimum malt content of 40% and aged in a broad selection of cask sizes and types. It’s named after the lighthouse ‘Hatozaki’ in Akashi harbour which is shown on the label. The Hatozaki range is made by master distiller & blender, Kimio Yonezawa at Kaikyo Distillery in the port town of Akashi in south-west Japan. September releases 2022: full score table.Rhône 2021 score table: top white wines.March releases on the Place de Bordeaux 2023.September fine wine releases on La Place de Bordeaux 2023.
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