
The combination of the award and continued global growth in whisky drinkers had caused stocks to dwindle. In response, Japanese whisky manufacturers have responded by both raising prices and, more importantly, discontinuing many the familiar “aged __ year” editions of their whiskys in favor for No Age Statement (NAS) bottles which give them the flexibility to use much younger casks to meet demand (a trend that extends beyond Japan to most whiskys these days).