Japanese whisky explained: 6 things you should know

It’s fair to say that Japanese whisky is popular these days. So popular, in fact, that it can be hard to get, even in Japan! But what is Japanese whisky actually? Is it Scotch’s distant cousin, or something completely different? And why have prices shot up in the last few years? If you want to get into Japanese whisky, or if you’re coming to Japan and want to check it out for yourself, here are some things you need to know.

Is Japanese whisky similar to Scotch?

Yes, to some degree. In terms of production, Japanese single malt is indeed very similar to Scotch. They’re both made from malted barley, distilled in copper pot stills, and matured in wooden casks. The reason they’re so structurally similar is because Japanese whisky, in its early days, was heavily influenced by Scotch. One of the key figures in Japanese whisky history, Masataka Taketsuru, studied distillation techniques in Scotland in the late 1910s, worked at various distilleries there (Longmorn among them), and brought that knowledge back to Japan. From there, companies such as Suntory and Nikka set up whisky distilleries that followed Scotch whisky production methods, and to this day, Japanese whisky shares many structural similarities with Scotch.

So production-wise, Japanese whisky and Scotch are very similar. But stylistically, there are differences. There tend to be fewer peated whiskies in Japan than in Scotland, for example. And Japanese whisky is generally regarded to be lighter, cleaner and more subtle than Scotch (although with more and more Japanese distilleries emerging and developing their own unique styles, such generalizations are somewhat less accurate than they once were).

There are far more similarities and differences between Japanese whisky and Scotch than I’ve listed here – this is just the briefest of brief overviews. The best way to compare them is to try as many of each as you can!

Are there peated Japanese whiskies?

As mentioned above, there are fewer peated whiskies in Japan than in Scotland – but many distilleries do use peat, even if only a little. Even among the big brands, whiskies such as Suntory’s Hakushu and Nikka’s Yoichi feature a healthy dose of peat (but not to Islay levels). There are also a couple of distilleries that pretty much exclusively produce heavily-peated whisky, so if you’re an Islay fan, Akkeshi and Saburomaru might be worth a look.

Why is Japanese whisky so popular?

Japanese whisky suffered a huge decline in popularity from the 1980s all the way through to the late 2000s. During this period, some whisky distilleries in Japan were forced to close (such as the legendary Karuizawa), while others continued on, but with reduced production. Things were actually looking pretty grim for the Japanese whisky industry for a while there. So what happened? How did Japanese whisky become so popular?

Overseas, Japanese whisky began to receive greater recognition in 2001, when a Japanese whisky won a major award in an international whisky competition for the first time. More and more awards followed in subsequent years, and the reputation of Japanese whisky increased accordingly. A certain Bill Murray movie released in 2003 also did its part to boost awareness of Japanese whisky outside of Japan.

Domestically, Suntory popularized the whisky highball with a clever marketing campaign in 2008. If you’ve ever visited Japan, you’ll have seen highballs everywhere, whether it’s in restaurants or bars, or canned versions in the convenience stores. A TV drama about the life of Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japanese whisky, was broadcast in 2014 and this also helped to kick off the Japanese whisky boom.

When the whisky boom hit in full force, it created a problem for companies like Suntory and Nikka, because they simply didn’t have the stock to keep up with demand. As a result, age-stated Japanese whiskies started to be discontinued, to be replaced with non age-stated versions. And for a while in the late 2010s and early 2020s, it was difficult to find Japanese whisky on the shelves at all. Fortunately, availability has picked up in recent years, so it’s relatively easy to pick up a nice Japanese whisky these days.

Why is it so expensive?

Japanese whisky wasn’t always expensive. The higher prices these days are, among other things, a result of its extreme popularity since the mid-2010s. As mentioned above, there was not enough supply to meet demand when the whisky boom hit, and that pushed prices up as well.

A word of warning: Suntory products (especially their big three brands: Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Hibiki) have such a level of hype around them these days that they are routinely marked up significantly in stores here in Japan. As an example, the regular NAS (non age stated) Yamazaki has a suggested retail price of Y7700 – but you’ll never find it at that price. I usually see it in stores for around Y13,000. Actually, I once saw it in a shop in Okinawa for Y27,000!

The good news though is that most other brands are not marked up like this, so there’s still a lot of good value whisky to be found out there! And prices will generally be much more reasonable in Japan than overseas.

Does Japanese whisky have to be made in Japan?

This is the big question! And the answer, sadly, is no. Which sounds ridiculous, because surely a Japanese whisky has to be made in Japan! The problem is that Japan’s liquor laws are frustratingly vague, and amazingly don’t even specify that Japanese whisky has to be made in Japan. As a result there are some “Japanese” whiskies out there that were actually distilled in Scotland or Canada or other parts of the world. So how do you know if you’re buying a legitimate Japanese whisky or not? Unfortunately, that’s far too complex a topic to get into here. For now, the advice I can give you is that when you come across a Japanese whisky that’s new to you, at the very least, do a bit of research online before purchasing.

Is visiting a distillery the only way to understand Japanese whisky?

Visiting a distillery is a great way to get to know Japanese whisky. And these days, there are dozens of distilleries in Japan that offer tours – check out this list of Japanese whisky distillery tours I compiled. But here’s the problem – the vast majority of Japanese whisky distilleries are not easy to actually get to. The one exception is Yamazaki, conveniently located between Osaka and Kyoto, which sounds great until you realize that they only accept bookings months in advance through a lottery system (good luck!). So if you’re unable to get to a distillery, how about a whisky tasting instead?

Kyoto Whisky Tasting

I run small-group Japanese whisky tastings in Kyoto. I can promise you that every whisky I serve is a legitimate Japanese single malt that was 100% distilled in Japan – no whiskies of dubious origin here! So if you want to learn more about Japanese whisky, compare different distilleries, and just enjoy some great whisky in a relaxed setting, come join me for a tasting! See here for more details.