8/7/2023 0 Comments Expensive japanese whiskey![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Eigashima Shuzo, the company that owns White Oak, does distil malt whisky, but doesn’t make grain whisky, so those blends are made with imported bulk Scotch grain whisky. Another one I see for high prices outside Japan is the budget-priced White Oak Distillery Akashi blends (between 800 and 1,200 yen or $US7.45 ($10) and $US11.20 ($14)). Outside of Japan, it typically goes for much more. As mentioned above, Kirin Sanroku is available at many supermarkets and used to be priced at under 1,000 yen – though, the price did go up after it was released in a non-chilled filtered version. So, yes, there are some good buys in Japan. When Kotaku Australia‘s Alex Walker was in Osaka, we hit the outskirts, where he got some nice Chichibu whisky. Sometimes you cannot even find no-age-statement stuff! Try going to the suburbs, and you might be surprised at what you can turn up at liquor stores and even fancy supermarkets. ![]() In Japan, it’s still hard to locate Japanese whisky with age statements in the city centre (at least in Osaka, where I live). Sold out at Hanky Department Store in Osaka’s Umeda #japanesewhisky #suntory #yamazaki #hakushu #hibiki #ジャパニーズウイスキー #ウイスキー #サントリー #山崎 #白州 #響Ī post shared by Brian Ashcraft on at 5:05am PDT In the meantime, they keep releasing fairly affordable and delicious whiskies.įor those coming to Japan, Suntory appears to be focusing more on the foreign markets, which means you might have better luck at picking up, say, Hakushu 12 than I might. Nikka’s single malts with age statements probably won’t be ready to return for a while. So while I love shochu, especially mugijochu (barley shochu), we’re talking about whisky. In international markets, it seems like shochu makers are trying to pass off their spirits as “Japanese whisky,” which wouldn’t happen in Japan because those spirits are rightfully considered shochu. The process of distilling rice is entirely different from that of traditional whisky grains and can be used to make shochu. Personally, I think Japanese whisky must be made from classic whisky grains, such as malted barley, corn or rye. I did not include any releases made from rice in this list. A dignified and refined Japanese whisky.Ī couple of notes for those who are interested as well as those who are visiting Japan: The temperature fluctuations give added personality to this robust spirit, which is then slowly aged in Yoichi’s warehouses. The Yoichi Distillery is the only place in the world that still fires its pot stills by coal. Year-by-year, this single malt release gets better and better. Image: Nikka Yoichi Single Malt (No Age Statement) If you want to compare prices online, try Wine Searcher. I have also seen good prices at the Rakuten Global Market, Country Wine & Spirits, Drizly, Liquorama and The Liquor Barn. All three are excellent online sellers, but your mark up mileage might vary. You can buy these whiskies, as well as rarities, at Master of Malt, Dekanta and The Whisky Exchange. If you like Japan, this book might be for you!īelow are whiskies that won’t break the bank but are solid choices with info and tasting notes from my book. I discuss in further detail Japanese whisky’s history and the deep cultural connections it has with everything from religion to language in my new book, available for pre-order right here. Mars, Chichibu, and White Oak all release excellent stuff, but some of their stuff can, as it is with Japanese whisky, get pricey, especially Chichibu. If you like bourbon or other American whiskies, you’ll probably dig Kirin.īesides those giants, there is a number of medium-to-small distilleries, such as Mars Whisky (Hombo Shuzo), the Chichibu Distillery (Venture Whisky) and the White Oak Distillery (Eigashima Shuzo) as well as several new distilleries that are just starting operation. The other big maker is Kirin, which arrived on the scene much later – during the early 1970s – and focuses on grain whiskies. Nikka founder Masataka Taketsuru previously worked at Suntory, which was then called Kotobukiya, and was the Yamazaki Distillery’s first manager before striking out on his own to establish Nikka. Those are the giants of Japanese whisky with the founder of each company being considered fathers of Japanese whisky. The Japanese whisky industry is dominated by Suntory, with Nikka coming in a distant second. ![]()
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