Author Archives: George Koutsakis

Lazy

Japan Shines In Asia’s Best 50 Bars List

This news may come as a surprise to few, especially those who know the bar scene in Japan, and the amazing quality and service that can be found. The standards are set high. However, we’re always overjoyed to see Japan and its drinks scene shine on the global stage, and love to report these happenings […]

Lazy

Kamiki – The World’s First Japanese Cedar Finished Whisky

We’ve seen a lot of wonderful whiskies come out of Japan in recent years, each with their own unique story. While the renowned Yamazaki, Hibiki, Hakushu, and Nikka brands lead the way, smaller distilleries like Chichibu, Mars Shinshu, and White Oak are quickly rising through the ranks and reaching a global audience. As we continue […]

Lazy

Hibiki Whisky – The Facets Of Harmony

The assumed inferiority of blended whisky originates from the mistaken belief that blended expressions comprise the bad-tasting whiskies the Scotch distilleries don’t want. And this belief has lingered throughout the years. Sometimes change must come from the outside. Enter Japanese blended whisky. The word premium was attached to Japanese blended whisky, and pushed across the […]

Lazy

On The Road With dekantā – Paul John Distillery

Japanese whisky will always be our pride and joy, but as we stand on the edge of Japan and look West towards Asia, there’s a whole lot of great whisky being made. We’re always up for a bit of exploring, so we decided to venture out and meet the people behind these amazing Asian whiskies. […]

Lazy

Suntory, Kirin, Asahi Come Together Against Pollution

In recent news by Suntory, Japan’s largest drinks companies have come together to combat the rising issue of air pollution in Asia. It seems it will be a common interest in protecting the environment, and not whisky, that will bring these major industry players to collaborate. Japan’s most major beer makers, Suntory, Asahi, Kirin, and Sapporo, […]

Lazy

Interview With Brian Ashcraft On “Japanese Whisky – The Ultimate Guide to the World’s Most Desirable Spirit”

Any lover of Japanese culture has read something by Brian Ashcraft. Personally, I follow his seasonal anime guides on Kotaku, but he writes on everything “Japan”. Tattoos, recent trends, politics, robots, you name it and he’s probably covered it. So, I’m glad to chat with him about his most recent book on an important part […]

Lazy

Japanese Whisky Rocks the World Whiskies Awards, Again

The doors opened to a large, well-lit hall and the whisky industry heavyweights poured in. Wine was offered at the entrance but seeing World Japanese whisky awards available, I moved towards that instead. It was a wonderful sight to see so many legends of the industry gathered in one place. Jota Tanaka from Fuji-Gotemba, Ichiro […]

Lazy

The All-Hokkaido Japanese Whisky

We’ve been hearing about the Akkeshi distillery quite a lot recently. Exciting times are afoot up in Hokkaido, especially since the distillery released their very first New Born bottling at the end of February.   Having tasted it, one thing is for certain – We can expect some great things from Akkeshi in the future. […]

Lazy

World Whiskies Awards Round 1 – Observing Japanese Whisky

It’s that time of the year again as Japanese whisky lovers await the final results of the World Whiskies Awards competition. For the fans that don’t remember, Japanese whisky rocked the competition last year, after expressions were named the World’s Best Blended, World’s Best Single Cask Single Malt, and World’s Best Grain. 2017 was huge […]

Lazy

Yamazaki Mizunara Oak – From Whisky To Wine

The rarity of Japanese mizunara oak is sung across the whisky world. In recent years many have utilized the category, in the hopes of adding an element of luxury to their whisky. Islay’s great Bowmore distillery released a mizunara expression in 2013 which, to no surprise, quickly sold out and skyrocketed in price on the […]