Suntory’s the Hibiki is one of the more celebrated brands of Japanese whisky. It is a premium category product which has won over 30 international awards since 2004, including the Hibiki 21 years old being nominated as the world´s best blended whisky at the world whisky awards in 2013. Suntory is rightly proud of its […]
Rita Taketsuru might be largely forgotten in her native Scotland, but the same cannot said about her adopted country of Japan. Well known in some Japanese circles, the Scottish-born wife of one of Japan’s favorite sons is now almost a household name thanks to NHK’s morning drama series about their adventures. Rita (full name Jessie […]
Whisky is not the first drink that pops into the minds of most Westerners when Japan is mentioned. Most people probably imagine the Japanese to be sake-drinking samurais. But the Japanese do in fact make all sorts of drinks, including sake, shochu, wines, beers and whisky. Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in Japan […]
If you want to know more about the history of Japanese whisky, there is a Japanese TV drama out there that might have you interested: The life of Masataka Taketsuru, the first man in Japan to master the art of whisky making, the founder of Nikka distilleries and the brain behind Suntory, is being dramatized […]
The Hanyu playing card labels are a limited editions of Ichiro’s malt whisky. Each and every label has a unique playing card motif, 58 in total. The story behind these labels is quite interesting. The Hanyu distillery was founded back in 1941 by Isouji Akuto, whose family had actually been in the sake-making business since […]
Europe is lucky, it has Marcin Miller, without him there might not be much Japanese whisky on the continent. Marcin Miller is the founder and owner of Number One Drinks, a Europe-wide distributor of fine Japanese whisky such as Chichibu, Hanyu, Kawasaki and Karuizawa. He used to be an editor and published of the […]
Ever heard of ji-whisky? Ji-whisky is a name the Japanese give to whiskies produced by small local breweries and distilleries. They differ in the sense that they are not distributed nationwide and are often not well known outside their local areas. The producers often specialize in brewing sake or shochu and only brew whisky on […]
The cask is essential for making whisky as it greatly affects the colour and taste. As a result, each distillery uses many different types of casks for maturation. An example of a cask unique to Japan is the Mizunara cask also known as Japanese oak cask. Due to its peculiar character it is extremely difficult […]
Today there is shortage of malt on the market. Distilleries all over the world are struggling to gather enough materials for whisky making, and they are also trying to cut down the fermentation time. As a result, many distilleries are pouring money and manpower into researching the answer to this question: How can we make […]
In future blog posts we will be talking a lot about major individuals, past and present, in the Japanese whisky business. But first we thought we’d give you a glimpse of the fun by publishing this post written by Nori, a bartender in Tokyo who knows everything there is to know about the world of […]
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