Ultimate Introduction to Japanese Whisky
This post outlines the history of whisky production in Japan and its unique characteristics, marking the start of our series on Japanese Whiskies! Kanpaii!
History of Whisky Production in Japan
Whisky production in Japan began in the late 1800s as moonshine and the first commercial production was in 1924 upon the opening of the country’s first distillery, Yamazaki.
Shinjiro Torii
Shinjiro Torii is widely recognised as the founder of Japanese whisky. He left school at 13 to become an apprentice to a storekeeper, studying techniques for blending Japanese sake. He later set up his own shop and launched a sweetened wine called Akadama Port Wine, which gained widespread success.
Before the First World War, he stored alcohol for liqueurs in old wine barrels and forgot about it. Some years later, he rediscovered it and found that aging in barrels had profoundly enriched the flavours. This set him on the path of creating his own whisky.
In 1923, he made a wild punt and put all his company assets into building the Yamazaki distillery, the very first whisky distillery in Japan. The site, located just outside Kyoto, was chosen for its source of pure spring water.
Shinjiro then sought to recruit a Scottish whisky expert but could not find a suitable candidate. During this time, he met Masataka Taketsuru, a chemist who had studied in the University of Glasgow and spent time apprenticing at distilleries.
Masataka Taketsuru
Masataka had gone to Scotland with the single-minded pursuit of learning how to make Scotch whisky. His family owned a sake brewery, established since 1733 (that is still producing fantastic sake today) and he was expected to carry on the family trade with his expertise in chemistry. Yet, it was Scotch whisky that captured his imagination.
Upon his return to Japan, he joined the Yamazaki distillery and was instrumental in its establishment. His background is also the reason why the style of Japanese whisky broadly follows those of the Scots, and is written as “whisky” instead of “whiskey”.
The First Whisky in Japan
Together, Shinjiro and Masataka launched Japan’s first whisky in 1929 under the name Suntory. It was nicknamed SHIROFUDA (white bill) after the white label on its round shaped bottle. After the Second World War, it was named “White”. Crafted in a similar style as the Scots, the Japanese people found it incompatible for their more subtle palate.
Undeterred, the pair continued to refine their craft. Masataka later left the Yamazaki distillery in 1934 to establish Nikka whisky with its first distillery in Yoichi, Hokkaido which had similar characteristics to the Scottish town where he had studied.
Japanese Whisky Style
Although Japanese whisky has its roots with the Scots, it has now evolved to its own unique aesthetic.
In his book, The World Atlas of Whisky, Broom described the nation’s distillation as: “Japanese whiskey isn’t necessarily lighter, but it possesses a clarity of aroma that singles it out. Its absence of a cereal background note also differentiates it from Scotch, as does the use of the intensely aromatic Japanese oak.”
Flavien Desoblin, owner of the Brandy Library, gave: “Japanese whiskeys are very much the fine-wine-drinker’s take on whiskey. There is more attention paid to the body and the texture in Japan than in many other countries. They are looking for that delicate, suave, mouth-coating feel, but never really aggressive. They seem to be powerful, but it’s all silky.”
Suntory master distiller Mike Miyamoto has a more snappy description — “The Japanese are not good with high alcohol. But something like our Hibiki blended whisky is so well-blended and so smooth, the Japanese love drinking it.”
Contributing factors to its unique flavor
1. Corporate structure
Most of the whiskies produced in Scotland is for use in blends. So, distilleries often specialise in a specific style and then sell the barrels to the whisky brands. Think of Johnnie Walker and the like. Trade among the various whisky producers and distillers is thus common as they search for the exact barrel to produce their blends.
In Japan, the distillers are the brand owners as well. Suntory distils its own whiskies, keeps them in barrels and uses them to create their single malts (Yamazaki) and blends (Hibiki). Trade is less common as the production is fully integrated, resulting in less selection for the blenders. As a result, they have had to innovate to produce a wide variation of flavours in-house, using an array of copper pot stills and wooden barrels.
2. Use of coal fires
The use of coal fires creates whiskies that are more floral, with softer, silkier textures, than those from Scotland. This works even for peaty whiskies. At Nikka’s Yoichi distillery, the pot stills are heated by coal fires, as opposed to steam, which gives their single malts richer, peatier flavors.
3. Mizunara Japanese Oak
Mizunara Oak has been used since the 1930s, adding specific sweet pepper spices and other flavor profiles, according to Miyamoto. It has extremely high levels of vanilins but is soft and porous, making the casks prone to leakage and other damage.
The Japanese thus have had to adapt the practice of maturing whisky by first maturing in bourbon or sherry casks before transferring to mizunara casks for the flavour.
For example, the Yamazaki single malt is produced using five barrel sizes and wood from three different oak species: White American, Spanish (seasoned with sherry) and Japanese.
4. Drinking preferences
The Japanese prefer to consume their spirits in highballs where the whisky is mixed with ice and a soft drink. The usual concoctions are whisky and soda, gin and tonic, rum and coke.
The other method of consumption is in a Mizuwari, which means “mixed with water”, which originated from Japanese shochu drinking traditions. This typically consists of 2 parts of cold water with one part whisky, topped up with some ice.
Consequently, the Japanese whiskies do well in all circumstances, whether you prefer to dilute your drink or drink it neat, making it a favorite for all occasions.
