Japanese Whisky Shortages Loom for Next 10 Years

From the “Lost in Translation” movie to international whisky awards, Japanese whisky has been on the rise ever since it’s been in the spotlight, even winning the World’s Best Whisky Award from Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. Though demand is high for this Japan-made liquor, the supply for popular Japanese whisky is running low fast. Unfortunately, because of the time-consuming process to cultivate the finest dram, the wide range of releases that each active distillery has provided to the public only has a limited number.

Read “Why Japanese Whisky Is Worth The Price” for more information on why the price tag for many Japanese whiskies.

Suntory, a world-famous Japanese whisky company known to be the oldest around, is one of the most popular whisky producers and suppliers in the market. Takeshi Niinami, the current CEO of Suntory, has stated that Suntory currently cannot “meet the market’s demands.” However, in a decade, Suntory’s distilleries will be able to “respond to the market need.” (Source: The Spirits Business)

The reason for the 10-year wait? It’s all about quality. Suntory, one of the most prominent whisky companies in Japan and around the world, focuses on improving whiskies and providing customers with the best single malts and blended whiskies possible. With over a million casks in Suntory’s distilleries, this award-winning, internationally acclaimed Japanese whisky giant wants to continue delivering high-quality, one-of-a-kind spirits to customers. Niinami stated, “We have got to improve quality always, we should not stay within our current quality, [we should] always try to make our products better. As long as we do this, we can sustain current momentum, I am confident of it.”

Discover exciting and interesting tidbits about Japanese whiskies in our blog post “7 Fun Facts About Japanese Whisky.”

Maturation is the longest process of creating the best whiskies possible, and that will require more time before whisky lovers can get their hands on a brand new bottle. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Japanese whiskies while you wait! Dekanta offers over 1,000 rare and popular Japanese whiskies from various companies, including Suntory’s Hibiki line and Suntory’s Yamazaki line. Dekanta connects you to a treasure trove of Japanese spirits that are usually hard to get in your possession. While you wait for the next releases, explore the other whiskies available!

If you’re looking to try some of our favorites while you can still buy them, check out these favorites:

• Yamazaki 12 Year Old
• Hibiki 17 Year Old
• Hibiki 21 Year Old